The Hunger Games Peeta's Tale
by Hermia18
Summary: Ever wondered how Peeta felt throughout the Hunger Games? What was going through his mind during those weeks in the Captiol and the arena? This is The Hunger Games but from Peeta's perspective, please read and tell me what you think :
1. Chapter 1

The Hunger Games – Peeta's Tale

Chapter One

I'm suddenly jolted out of sleep, and my eyes snap open suddenly. A tight knot of nervous tension fills the pit of my stomach, spreading until the feeling completely takes over. I take a deep breath and try to calm down, but it's no good because I know what day it is. Today is reaping day. I listen to my second oldest brother Robus lightly snoring in the bed on the other side of the room, and it calms me down slightly. It's selfish of me I know, to be thinking only of myself at a time like this. Living in bakery all my life, means that I've never gone hungry, never had to put my name in the reaping bowl more times that necessary. Unlike most other people in District 12. The thought sickens me somewhat, and makes me feel ashamed of myself. The knot of nervousness tightens.

I try to push the thoughts out of my head and try to go back to sleep, but it's no use. The faces of all the people I know who might be speeded off to the Capitol to await imminent death in just a few hours, keep playing in my mind. Her face flashes up whenever I close my eyes. I know that it seems weird to love someone who you've never formally met, but I fell for Katniss Everdeen the first moment that I saw her.

I think about that moment I can never forget. The sight of her frail body against the apple tree in the back garden, her hollow cheeks, her eyes becoming sunken. She looked skeletal. I was in the shop at the time, when I heard my mother shouting at someone. I walked to the back door just in time to see her shooing Katniss away from our bins. My mother came back to the door and snapped at me to go and get the bread out of the oven. I stayed just long enough to see Katniss collapse by the base of the tree. I knew that I had to help her. I went back in, to the bread oven in the kitchen and tried to think about what I could do. My mother was in the room so I couldn't just go and give her some bread. No I had to play it carefully.

"Oh no!" I exclaimed

"What!" My mother shouted "What did you do!"

"I'm so sorry, I dropped the bread." I said whilst fishing the two loaves out of the flames with a pair of tongs. They were only slightly blackened but I knew that it would be enough.

"You stupid boy!"

My mother whacked me hard across the face, before pushing my back towards the garden.

"Feed it to the pigs! No one decent with buy burnt bread!"

She stormed back in to the house, and I seized my opportunity. I lobbed the first loaf and it landed at her feet, I threw the second loaf and scurried back inside.

I think about that moment all the time. It's the only moment that just me and Katniss share together. But I wish that I had just gone out in to the rain and handed her the bread, and then walked her home, just to make sure that she made it back there.

The suns up now, it's ironic really that on such a grim, disturbing day, it's so beautiful outside. I sigh and sit up, putting my feet on the dusty wooden floor boards. I go down the creaky stairs and go in the little room at the back of the shop that we use for a sitting room in the evenings. I find my mother filling an old iron tub with water from the pump outside. We are one of the few families in District 12 who have an indoor toilet and sink, but even we don't have a plumbed bath or running hot water. My mother looks up and see's me. I try to smile but all that I end up with is a sort of tight grimace. My mother doesn't even attempt to smile back at me. She just shoves a striped shirt and a pair of beige trousers in my hands.

"Get washed and dressed, then come and help your father in the shop." She snaps.

Geez, you'd think that she would act a bit nicer to her son seeing as she may well be saying good by to either me or Robus in a few hours. I guess the tension effects everyone in different ways. The water is positively icy so I scrub myself down quickly, and slip on the shirt and trousers. Like almost everything I own they once belonged to Robus, and like almost everything he owns they also once belonged to my oldest brother Sol. He's twenty now and so reapings are over for him, but he's better at supporting me and Robus than my mother is. I suppose the reapings are still a lot fresher for him.

I walk in to the front of the shop just in time to see a tall male figure with dark hair leaving the shop. It's Gale Hawthorne, him and Katniss are closer than anything, and so I'm insanely jealous of him. He's probably going off to meet her right now. I look around and see my father holding a dead squirrel looking slightly guilty. I smile, my father loves to eat squirrels, but will only ever trade for one when my mother isn't around. He puts the squirrel on the counter and turns around to look at me. He smiles at me and pats me on the shoulder.

"You'll be fine son." He says. "Your name's only in there five times, the likelihood is that you'll be home tonight."

I nod and look down at my feet. I know that he's only trying to make me feel better, but I can't help but feel guilty for worrying about myself, when there are others like Katniss whose name is in that reaping bowl for twice the amount that mine is.

I help my father in the shop, and after about half an hour Robus turns up, his skin pink from soap and scrubbing, his hair still damp. He raises his eyebrows at me before going to knead some dough.

The minutes tick by too quickly for my liking, and at ten to two we all head down to the town square. Me and Robus bid our parents and Sol goodbye before going to sign in. We then say goodbye to each other as we go and stand in our designated age zones. I catch sight of Katniss across the square, she's saying goodbye to her little sister Primrose. Her dark hair isn't in its usual braid, but it's been elaborately plaited around her head. She looks very pretty. I pull my attention away from her and focus it on the stage that's been put up in front of the justice building.

Mayor Undersee does his usual speech about the dark days, and how the Hunger Games came to be. I can't concentrate on it though; my stomach is tying itself in knots. After a while District 12's only surviving victor Haymitch Abernathy arrives on stage, blinding drunk as usual. He goes to hug the Capitol escort Effie Trinket, which makes her stupid pink wig go wonky. In any other situation I may have laughed, but nothing at this moment could force me to laugh. After another few minutes Effie stands.

"Happy Hunger Games!" She trills, honestly that Capitol accent is just ridiculous. "And may the odds be _ever_ in your favour!" She totters over to the glass ball on the left of the stage.

"Ladies first!" She smiles. She plunges her hand in to the ball, and pulls out a slip of paper. I hold my breath as she opens and smoothes the paper. She clears her throat before reading out the name.

"Primrose Everdeen."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

My heart sinks, because I realise that I recognise the name. It's a girl I've seen a few times at the bakery window. She stares transfixed at the cakes on the display shelf. I've always wanted to go out and give her one, and maybe that would have given me an excuse to talk to Katniss who was always with her. But my mother has always been in the shop with me, and I know that she would have never allowed it.

I look around to see the little girl make her way towards the stage. For that is all that she is, a child about to be murdered at the hands of the Capitol. She's half way up to the stage, where Effie stands with her teeth bared in what is evidently meant to be a smile. Who would smile at a moment like this? Well I suppose those Capitol people view the situation a lot differently, seeing as they're not the ones who have experience a reaping the way we do. Then I hear the voice.

"Prim! Prim!" It's a strangled cry that cuts right through me. Katniss reaches her sister just before she mounts the steps. She pushes Primrose behind her and gasps-

"I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!"

I look away from the stage and down at my feet, because this was exactly what I knew would happen the moment they read out Primrose's name. I'd seen the two of them walking through the town before, and I knew enough to know that Katniss loved her sister more than anything. She was prepared to die for her. Effie Trinket must be delighted. For once she is actually in a District where something 'exiting' is happening. She says something about the protocol of introducing a volunteer, and Primrose starts screaming.

"No, Katniss! No! You can't go!" she wraps her pale arms around Katniss as she speaks. I find it incredible that Katniss has managed to keep her dignity all this time; she hasn't shed a single tear even though it must be killing her inside. Then I see another figure coming through the crowd. Its Gale. He says something to Katniss, before gathering Primrose up in his arms.

He passes by me in the crowd, Primrose still thrashing in his arms. Part of me wishes that he will be chosen as male tribute for District 12, at least then I would know that someone was looking out for Katniss. But there isn't much time for me to dwell on such thoughts, because Effie Trinket is talking again.

"That's the spirit of the Games! What's your name?"

Katniss Everdeen, I think silently. The girl I've seen nearly everyday, and the girl who will now never know how I feel.

"Katniss Everdeen." She says in a remarkably steady voice.

Effie trills on, "I bet my buttons that was your sister. Don't want her to steal all the glory, do we? Come on, everybody! Let's give a big round of applause to our newest tribute!"

None of us clap, instead we all do something that is as close as we will probably ever come in showing public defiance of the Capitol. First the adults around the edge, then the older kids at the back of the crowd, and eventually all of us. We all put out three middle fingers on our lips and hold them out to her. A mark of respect usually done at funerals. Like a final goodbye.

Haymitch stumbles forward and grabs her around the shoulders.

"Look at her. Look at this one! I like her!" His words are surprisingly fluent for someone who must have been drinking since the early hours of this morning.

"Lots of . . . " he hesitates for a few seconds before coming out with the word "Spunk!" he points at the camera and shouts "More than you!" before collapsing off the stage in a drunken stupor. Katniss just stares in to the distance, as though willing herself to pretend she is anywhere away from that stage.

I train my attention on Effie, because her next words force my focus on to that second reaping ball. There are five slips of paper with the name 'Peeta Mellark' carefully printed on to them, and sitting in the glass ball.

"It's time to choose our boy tribute!" Effie exclaims, and she puts her arm in to the ball, and pulling out a slip of paper very quickly. I don't even have the time to issue a silent plea for mine and my brother's safety before she reads out the name on the paper.

"Peeta Mellark!"

My breath catches in my throat. My eyes widen. I quickly try to put an expressionless front on my face, but it's impossible. The eyes of the boys around me are fixed on my face, and they part to let me through. It feels like every muscle in my body is trembling, yet somehow I make my legs work, and walk towards the stage. I stand on the podium just a few feet away from Katniss.

Mayor Undersee reads the treaty of treason just like he does every year. Only this time instead of patiently listening to him, and thinking about what the coming weeks will hold for the kids on stage, my mind is elsewhere, and I barely even hear the Mayor speak.

Why me? Why her? The odds are not in my favour today. My eyes flicker over the subdued crowd surrounding the square. I find my parents. My mothers jaw is clenched tight, my father staring at the floor. I do see something which does surprise me though. They're both holding tightly to the other hand, as if neither could bear to let go.

Mayor Undersee finishes the treaty of treason in a monosyllabic voice, and the gestures for me and Katniss to shake hands. It's then that I notice how small her hands are, they feel lost in mine. I look at her in the eye, as if hoping to tell her that I'm sorry we're both here. I try to give her hand a reassuring squeeze, but she probably just thinks my hands are shaking with nerves. I really hope that I get a chance to properly talk to her before we're flung in to an arena filled with god knows what.

The anthem of Panem plays, and we turn to face the crowd. The moment it ends we're both ushered in to the Justice building where the door slams closed behind us.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Two Peacekeepers lead me in to a room and leave me by myself. I sit on one of the sofa's and bury my face in to one of the plush velvet cushions. I don't try to hold the tears back now, my body is racked with convulsive sobs, and I don't even try to stop them.

After a few minutes I feel a hand on my shoulder and sit up. I find my father sitting next to me, my mother at his side. Robus and Sol stand a few feet in front of me.

"I'm so sorry son." My father whispers, his eyes filled with tears. He pulls me in to a tight hug, and I hear my mother say something.

"Maybe District 12 will finally have a winner this year." She says grimly. I look at her surprised, only to realise she isn't talking about me. Why would she? She never was particularly affectionate.

"She's a survivor that one." She adds, looking at me sadly.

There's just enough time for a final embrace with my brothers, father and mother.

"I love you all, remember that." The words spill out of my mouth before I can stop myself.

My father pats me on the shoulder before saying, "I know Peeta, we all love you too."

Then the Peacekeepers are back, my family are ordered out, and I'm left by myself. After about twenty minutes I'm pushed in to the back of a car with Effie and Katniss, on our way to the train station, and eventually the Capitol. I absentmindedly wipe my eyes, and catch sight of myself on the television screens by the station that's filled with reporters. I look weak. My eyes are obviously red, and my face is blotchy. Katniss on the other hand looks so cool and collected, almost as if she were bored. I've never been able to hide my emotions that well.

We climb out of the car and up the steps to stand in the door of the train. The camera's flash wildly, and then the doors close and the train starts up with incredible speed.

I'm show to my private quarters and my mouth drops open at the sight of it. We each have our own bedroom, dressing room and bathroom. The bedroom has a deep fluffy blue carpet, the bed is simply huge. As childish as it sounds all I want to do it take a running leap at that bed and lose myself in the layers of quilts and cushions. Effie tells me to do as I please but to be ready for dinner in an hour.

After she leaves I take of my shoes and socks, burying my toes in the thick carpet. I jump on to the bed, landing with a soft thump on my back. It's been such an exhausting day I could happily just fall asleep, but I force myself to get up and investigate the bathroom. The dazzling white tiles almost make my eyes hurt. I go over to the shower and switch it on, surprised and the powerful jet of water that shoots out. I'm even more surprised when I realise that the water is piping hot.

I strip off and get underneath the torrent of water, sighing. After a few minutes I get out, dry myself off and cross to the large chest of drawers in the bedroom that is filled with clothes. Effie told me to help myself, so I choose a pair of dark brown trousers and a light blue shirt. Once I'm dressed I judge it to be around dinner time so I leave my room and begin to make my way down to the dining car.

About half way down the car I notice Haymitch stumbling towards me. He's got a glass full of honey coloured liquid in his hand. I feel like I should say something, but when I open my mouth as we draw level, he holds out a hand to stop me.

"Tell her I've gone for a nap." He slurs at me. I just nod, and he stumbled back down the car away from me.

When I get in to the dining room I'm the only one in there. I sit down at the polished mahogany table, and drink in my surroundings. The walls are made up of a rich brown wooden panelling, the floor is covered with the same plush blue carpet that's in my bedroom.

After a few minutes Effie comes in the room closely followed by Katniss. Effie is smiling brightly.

"Where's Haymitch?" She asks.

"Last time I saw him, he said he was going to take a nap," I say as Katniss takes the seat next to me.

"Well, it's been an exhausting day," she replies. That it certainly has been Effie, I can tell she's glad that Haymitch isn't here. I suppose she's annoyed with him for showing her up at the reaping. If only a minor hair malfunction was all I had to worry about.

The dinner is absolutely sumptuous. Although I know that I'm very lucky in the fact that I'm one of the few people in District 12 who has always had enough to eat, it's always the stale leftovers from the bakery that no one else wanted to buy. It starts with a creamy carrot soup, then juicy lamb chops with mashed potatoes, cheese and fruit to follow, and finished off with a large oozing chocolate cake. I've never known food like it, so I stuff myself to bursting point.

Somewhere around the lamb Effie starts to comment on our table manners, which seem to be of great importance to her.

"At least, you two have decent manners; the pair last year ate everything with their hands like a couple of savages. It completely upset my digestion." I can see the comment annoyed Katniss, as she eats the rest of the meal with her fingers, making sure to wipe her mouth with the table cloth for good measure. I have to work hard to stifle a laugh when I see the look on Effie's face.

I start to regret eating so much of that rich food. I'm starting to feel very queasy, and I force myself to hold it down as we move in to the next compartment to watch the re-cap of the reapings.

We watch the kids being called one by one, and I try to pay close attention to the kids who will be trying to kill me. A very beautiful girl with wavy blond hair is called from District 1, a ferocious looking boy volunteers from District 2. A terrified but defiant looking girl with porcelain skin is called from District 4. I don't notice a lot of the rest of them until we see the reaping from District 11. A huge boy who towers over the Capitol escort, and then a tiny girl who looks no more than twelve. Rue her name is. I notice Katniss stiffen when the girl stands on the stage alone.

Then come our own reapings. I see Katniss desperately pushing Primrose out of the way, shouting out "I volunteer" in that broken voice. Primrose screaming as she's carried away by Gale. I realise that it's no use worrying about myself, the slim chance of me surviving would benefit no-one. Katniss is a hunter, she has people who rely on her. Who may well starve without her. I have to get her out alive. At whatever cost. Of course my own feelings come in to it as well. That clear beautiful voice I heard singing on our first day of school. That means that I need to come up with a strategy, I need to speak to our mentor.

I come out of my reverie just in time to see Haymitch falling off the stage, and hear the Capitol commentators grown comically, and Effie tuts.

"Your mentor has a lot to learn about presentation. A lot about televised behavior."

The comment makes laugh, she's been doing this long enough doesn't she realise what Haymitch is like?

"He was drunk, he's drunk every year." I say. I look over at Katniss and notice that she's smirking slightly.

"Every day," she adds. Well Effie is clearly not as amused as we are by this.

"Yes," she hisses. "How odd you two find it amusing. You know your mentor is your lifeline to the world in these Games. The one who advises you, lines up your sponsors, and dictates the presentation of any gifts. Haymitch can well be the difference between your life and your death!"

Right on cue Haymitch stumbles in to the compartment. "I miss supper?" he says in a slurred voice. He stands still for a moment, then pukes all over the carpet, and promptly falls in to it. I wrinkle my nose at the smell, and Effie Trinket stands up.

"So laugh away!" she says. She hops in her pointy shoes around the pool of vomit and flees the room.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Me and Katniss survey the scene for a few moments. The smell is putrid and I'm having a hard enough job keeping my dinner down as it is. I realise that Effie is right, Haymitch is all we've got. When we're in that arena it's him that could well save our lives. Her life, because if I'm going to get her out of there alive then it's Haymitch I need to work with.

Almost in unison Katniss and I take one of Haymitch's arms each and haul him to his feet.

I tripped?" Haymitch asks. "Smells bad. Damn right it does Haymitch. He wipes nose smearing his face in chunks of vomit.

"Let's get you back to your room," I say. "Clean you up a bit."

We half drag half carry him back to his compartment. We heave him in to the bathroom and drag him in to the bath, turning on the shower to try and clean him off a bit. I sense an opportunity to maybe tell him about my plan, but I need to get rid of Katniss first.

"It's okay," I say to her. "I'll take it from here." She looks relieved, and to be honest I don't blame her. It's not exactly my idea of fun having to deal with a very drunk mentor who's covered in foul smelling sick.

All right," she says. "I can send one of the Capitol people to help you."

No I need to do this on my own, otherwise she might work out what I'm trying to do.

"No. I don't want them." I tell her, she nods and leaves the room to go back to her own compartment.

I sigh and then get to work. I hose Haymitch down as best I can, before towelling him off and throwing a quilt over him. I don't even try to lift him out of the bath, I'm strong but not that strong.

I lightly slap him across the face until his eyes open slightly. I talk quickly not wanting him to pass out before I've finished speaking.

"I need you to listen to me. Once we're in that arena you're going to do all you can to bring Katniss home, do you hear me?"

Haymitch nods slightly his eyes unfocused. I only hope that he understands.

"Between the two of us," I continue "we're going to work to try and bring her back to District 12."

Haymitch nods again, before slumping back in the bath, his eyes closed his mouth wide and snoring. I leave the room going back to my own bedroom; I only hope that I managed to get through to him. I need to work out a plan with him before the games start, and time is not something I have an abundance of.

Once I'm back in my room I rush to the toilet. The rich food has taken its toll on my stomach and I'm violently sick. I retch until there's nothing left to come up, and I go backing to the bedroom. I change in to some pyjama's I found in the drawer, and climb in to the bed. For the first time since we got on the train I think about what will be going on back home. My father will be putting the dough by the oven so it can rise in time to be baked tomorrow morning. My mother will probably be sweeping up the front of the shop. Robus and Sol will be tending to the pigs. The realisation that if I'm going to save Katniss, I'll never see their faces again. They'll see me, when the Capitol ship me home in a wooden box to be buried back in District 12.

The tears start falling down my face, so I shut my eyes and try to go to sleep. Eventually I manage it, waking up just as the sun is rising over the mountains that we seem to have reached during the hours I was asleep. I climb out of bed expecting my feet to hit the cold dusty wooden floor boards that line the floor in my bedroom at home. I'm surprised at first to feel the fluffy carpet on my feet, until I remember where I am and why.

I cross to the window and survey the scenery outside. We're about to go through a cast mountain range, so I know enough of Panem's geography to realise that the Capitol is just hours away.

I quickly dress in the clothes that I put on yesterday seeing as they're still clean. I walk over to the mirror and brush hair, whilst rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. It's still early but I decide to head down to the dining room and see if breakfast is out. I open the door and my greatest surprise I find Haymitch sitting there.

"Morning." He grunts at me, clearly nursing one hell of a hangover.

"Good morning." I reply, taking the seat opposite him. I'm trying to work out whether he remembers anything from the previous night. I'm about to say something, but he beats me to it.

"Listen, we've got to sort a few things out before the girl comes in." he says quickly. "What you said to me last night."

"You mean about getting Katniss home?" I interject, "You actually remember me saying that."

Haymitch fixes a gaze on me. "I remember more than you'd think son."

"Anyway," He continues. "If it's really what you want you've got to come up with a plan now."

"I was hoping you'd help me with that." I say quietly. Haymitch gives a bark like laugh, and takes a swig of something from a silver flask. The strong smell of spirits hits me even though I'm sitting across the table from Haymitch.

I'm about to say something when Effie trots in to the room, and pours herself a coffee from the jug on the table. I take a moment to look at the food on the table, a huge basket of rolls, tureens of fruit, flagons of orange juice, and huge platters of eggs, ham, potatoes and sausages. One of the Capitol attendants comes in with a steaming silver jug of something, and pours a mug of it for me, and another for Katniss when she arrives. I pig up my mug and look inside it, it's a creamy brown colour. I take a sip and the warm liquid tastes delicious.

"What is this?" I ask the room at large.

"Hot chocolate." The Capitol attendant replies with a smile.

Katniss arrives just a few minutes later.

"Sit down! Sit down!" says Haymitch waving her over. She sits and serves herself from the huge platter of food. I notice that she's looking at the mug of hot chocolate just like I was.

"They call it hot chocolate," I say. "It's good." She takes a sip, and within a few seconds has drained the cup. Me and Katniss eat until we're fit to burst, Haymitch adding the spirit from the flask to his glass of juice. After another few minutes Katniss starts to speak.

"So, you're supposed to give us advice," she says to Haymitch.

"Here's some advice. Stay alive," says Haymitch, and then bursts out laughing.

He's starting to get on my nerves. District 12 tributes never stand a chance with Haymitch as their mentor. I exchange a look with Katniss and realize that she is feeling the same way I am. I act impulsively.

"That's very funny," I say. I lash out at Haymitch knocking his glass to the floor where splatters the liquid all over the floor. "Only not to us." I add.

I can guess what is coming; Haymitch looks at me for a moment before punching me in the jaw, knocking me from my chair. I sit up on the carpet just in time to see Katniss drive a knife in to the table between his hand and the bottle of drink.

"Well, what's this?" says Haymitch. "Did I actually get a pair of fighters this year?"

I get up from the floor, scoop some ice from the tray of fruit, and raise it to my jaw. Haymitch stops me though.

"No," he says. "Let the bruise show. The audience will think you've mixed it up with another tribute before you've even made it to the arena."

I think for a moment trying to work out what Haymitch's aim is.

"That's against the rules," I say.

"Only if they catch you. That bruise will say you fought, you weren't caught, even better," says Haymitch. He turns to Katniss. "Can you hit anything with that knife besides a table?"

I could answer that question for her. My father buys enough of her squirrels; she always hits them right in the eye. Sure enough she yanks the knife from the table, throws it, and it lands in the seam between two panels.

"Stand over here. Both of you," says Haymitch, nodding to the middle of the room. We obey and he circles us, prodding us like animals at times, checking our muscles, examining our faces. "Well, you're not entirely hopeless. Seem fit. And once the stylists get hold of you, you'll be attractive enough."

I don't dispute this. The most good looking tributes always get the most sponsors. One year a tribute called Finnick Odair from District 4 won the games purely of the gifts sponsors gave him for his beauty.

"All right, I'll make a deal with you. You don't interfere with my drinking, and I'll stay sober enough to help you," says Haymitch. "But you have to do exactly what I say."

It's not much but it's a step forward, maybe I can hope to persuade him to help me get Katniss out alive.

"Fine," I say simply. Katniss goes one step further.

"So help us," she says. "When we get to the arena, what's the best strategy at the Cornucopia for someone —"

"One thing at a time. In a few minutes, we'll be pulling into the station. You'll be put in the hands of your stylists. You're not going to like what they do to you. But no matter what it is, don't resist," says Haymitch.

"But —" she begins.

"No buts. Don't resist," says Haymitch. He takes the bottle of spirits and leaves the car, just as it is plunged in to darkness. We must be in the tunnel that leads up to the Capitol through the mountains. Katniss and I stand in silence as we speed through the tunnel. Eventually light floods the compartment once again, and we both run to the window to get a glimpse of the Capitol. The buildings are huge, and painted in pastel colours. Huge stone structures rise high in to the sky, and people wearing the most bizarre clothes wander around the streets.

People start to recognise that it must be a tribute train that's pulling in, and again I act impulsively. If I'm going to help Katniss then I need to get people on my side. I wave at the passers by, smiling happily at them. It's only when we pull in to the station that I realise Katniss has stepped back from the window. She looks at me questioningly.

"Who knows?" I say. "One of them may be rich."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Katniss and I are taken straight from the train and in to the re-make centre. I catch one last glimpse of Katniss before we're sent in to different rooms for our 'treatment.'

All I can say is that the next few hours are uncomfortable but not exactly excruciating. Over the next three hours my eyebrows are plucked, my skin scrubbed with a pumice stone, my nails are polished and clipped, I'm told to soak in a bath filled with some foul smelling green gunge which will supposedly perfect my skin. My hair is cut and styled and the little facial hair I am able to grow is waxed off. That part is particularly uncomfortable. My prep team are a very strange set of individuals. There's Septimus, a short man with spiky pink hair, and pupils like cat slits. Cleopatra, who has funny gold tattoo's by her eyes, and bright orange nails like talons, and Accalia who has proper whiskers sprouting from her cheeks, and bright purple hair.

I do what Haymitch says and thank them for all their hard work. They leave me sitting on a table wearing a thin robe waiting for my stylist. I doubt my outfit for the opening ceremony will be anything too exiting. It'll be baggy miner's jumpsuits for sure. I wait patiently while my prep team go and inform my stylist that I'm ready. After about five minutes a relatively normal woman walks through the door. She's wearing a simple black dress with a cream jacket, her honey blonde hair in a bun at the back of her head. Her brown eyes look kind. I have to say that I'm slightly taken aback. I'd seen the stylists from watching the games for all these years. They're always strange beings with dyed skin, strange tattoos and unnatural looking hair.

"Hello Peeta, I'm Portia your stylist." She says in a mild voice. I nod and say hello back. I feel some of the nerves I felt when I got off the train in the Capitol ebb away slightly.

"Why don't you come with me, and we'll have lunch while we discuss what's going to happen tonight." She says with a smile. I follow her down the hall in to a room with blue velvet sofa's and a low wooden table. Most of the opposite wall is made of glass, and you can see the other Capitol buildings towering around. My mouth opens slightly at the sight of the view.

Portia smiles, and gestures at me to sit down. She pushes a button of the table, and in less than a minute plates of food have appeared through a circular flap in the wood. While we eat Portia asks me about home, I try to push down the emotions I start feeling when I think of the bakery. Pretty soon she stops asking me things, I think she can tell that I'm starting to feel upset.

"Now Peeta, you know tonight is the opening ceremony." She says once we've finished eating.

"Yes," I reply. "We have to wear clothes that reflect our district right?" I say, thinking of the coal miner's outfit I'll have to wear in a few hours. She nods in response.

"I'm sorry you got District 12." I add apologetically. "We're not the most interesting district I'm afraid." She just smiles again.

"Me and my partner Cinna asked for District 12, and what we have planned will make your district seem very interesting indeed."

I look at her quizzically.

"In fact we're sure that what we have planned will make a burning impression on the audience." She says with a laugh. I find myself laughing back for the first time since Primrose Everdeen was called at the reaping.

I dress in a simple black unitard that covers most of my body. I put on the leather boots, and walk with Portia to the ground floor of the re-make centre. I find Katniss standing with her stylist Cinna. I notice that we're both wearing the exact same thing, and I wonder what kind of impression we'll make on the audience. What are Portia and Cinna hoping to achieve by dressing us the same?

We're directed over to our chariot which is to be pulled by four coal black horses. The animals are so well trained that no one even needs to guide their reigns. I'm starting to get slightly worried about the fire. I've been around it all my life, getting bread in and out of the huge oven. But one or two times your hands slip, and that fire hurts more than anything. I've only ever got a few burns on my hands and arms, that pain was intense enough, what would it feel like if it was spread all over your body? It seems like Katniss is thinking the same as me.

"What do you think?" she whispers to me. "About the fire?"

I grit my teeth and say in a low voice "I'll rip off your cape if you'll rip off mine,"

"Deal." She says. It's the first proper conversation we've had together. I only wish it were under different circumstances.

"I know we promised Haymitch we'd do exactly what they said, but I don't think he considered this angle." She hisses. That's when I notice that Haymitch is no where to be seen. He's our mentor, isn't he suppose to protect us from stylists trying to publically burn us? I voice this opinion to Katniss.

"Where is Haymitch, anyway? Isn't he supposed to protect us from this sort of thing?"

"With all that alcohol in him, it's probably not advisable to have him around an open flame," she says. And then we're both laughing together, I suppose it's just nerves. Even at this moment the music is starting up and the first chariots are starting to go out. My stomach gives an uncomfortable jolt. The ride should last about twenty minutes, finishing up by the presidents mansion. Portia told me that we'll go straight from there to the training centre, which is where we'll stay until the games begin.

As Districts 1 and 2 go out, I hear the crowd roar. It's not a surprise really; the tributes from those districts are always favourites to the Capitol audience. Then in what seems like just seconds later District 11 is rolling out and Cinna climbs up on our chariot.

"Here we go then," says Cinna holding up the lighted torch. He sets our capes and headdresses on fire before I can even brace myself for the coming pain. But it doesn't come, Cinna and Portia have clearly done their research. Cinna lets out a sigh of relief.

"It works. "Remember, heads high. Smiles. They're going to love you!" and he climbs down off the chariot. He shouts something else. I don't hear it that clearly but I think he shouts for us to hold hands.

"What's he saying?" Katniss asks me. She looks so beautiful ablaze with the flames. It gives her face a soft glowing look, bathed in firelight.

"I think he said for us to hold hands," I tell her. I grab her right hand in my left, and as we look over to Cinna he gives us the thumbs up. It was just like when we shook hands at the reaping. Her hands are so small; it's strange how natural it feels to have her hand encased in mine. I don't have long to dwell on it, because seconds later our chariot rolls out.

A wall of noise hits me with full force. The initial shock of seeing our costumes fades away slightly, and the audience starts to scream with delight. People are cheering our names, "Peeta! Katniss! District 12!" I start to really respect the work that Portia and Cinna have done. They've made us memorable, maybe despite Haymitch's indifference we could get a few sponsors. Maybe I stand a chance of getting Katniss home.

I start to smile and wave at the audience; I catch sight of us on the television screens. Katniss is blowing kisses to the crowd who are going absolutely wild. We look radiant. The Capitol audience are showering us with flowers, and cheering for us. I notice that they're cheering Katniss's name far more than mine. They'll remember her. The girl who was on fire.

Katniss is gripping my hand so tightly, but nothing in the world could force me to let go. We reach the city circle and she tries to loosen her grip.

"No, don't let go of me," I say, regaining my grasp. "Please. I might fall out of this thing." I add. It's true that my legs are starting to get slightly shaky, but I'm keeping my balance well. No, the truth is that I want to hold on to Katniss for as long as possible. Either of us could be dead in just over a week.

"Okay," she says. We keep clinging to each other as the twelve chariots fill the circle. The President comes out on his balcony. He's quite a small thin man, but that ice white hair gives off an air of foreboding. All the windows surrounding the circle are packed with people wanting to get a glimpse of the tributes. As I look around at the television screens I can see that Katniss and I are getting more than our fair share of screen time.

As night steadily falls during President Snow's speech, we become even more distinctive. The fire illuminating our faces in the dark. We do one more round of the circle before our chariot disappears in to the training centre.

The prep teams descend on us and Portia extinguishes the flames with some spray from a canister. Everyone gushes about how brilliant we were. Portia was right, we certainly did make a burning impression. We jump down from the chariot and I not the other tributes eyeing us enviously. Some just look oddly quizzical, some look downright aggressive. I notice the volunteer from District 2 looking at Katniss with blazing eyes.

Our hands are still clamped tight together, and I have no excuse to hang on this time so we break away. She starts to massage her hand, I guess our nerves just made us cling even more tightly together.

"Thanks for keeping hold of me. I was getting a little shaky there," I say with a smile.

"It didn't show," she tells me. "I'm sure no one noticed." Of course they didn't, luckily they were preoccupied by her dazzling beauty.

"I'm sure they didn't notice anything but you. You should wear flames more often," I say. "They suit you." I blush slightly, maybe I've gone to far. I smile at her anyway. She looks taken aback but pleased. The next she does completely shocks me.

She leans forward and kisses me on the cheek. That's when the flames in my head ignite.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

We get to the training centre, which is where we'll live until we get sent in to the arena. It's a huge tower and each District gets an entire floor. We zip up to floor twelve in one of the crystal elevators that go so fast it makes my stomach flip upside down. I've never actually ridden in an elevator before. I can see that Katniss feels the same, as she gasps slightly have we fly upwards.

We were joined by Effie in the lobby. I thought that it was her job just to make sure we got to the Capitol in one piece. But it turns out that she and Haymitch will be overseeing us until the games begin. Well at least we'll actually stand a chance of getting to places on time with Effie around. I don't think Haymitch's time keeping skills are up to much. Effie seems happy enough, from the sounds of it it's the first year that she's had a pair of tributes who actually made a splash in the opening ceremony. It also sounds like she knows just about everyone in the Capitol. So at least she can help to get us sponsors, which by the sound of it, is what she's been trying to do today.

"I've been very mysterious, though," she says, her eyes squint half shut. "Because, of course, Haymitch hasn't bothered to tell me your strategies. But I've done my best with what I had to work with. How Katniss sacrificed herself for her sister. How you've both successfully struggled to overcome the barbarism of your district."

I snort slightly at the word "barbarism." Yes we may not be the most high tech, but at least we don't force children to kill each other, whilst betting on our favourites. Effie witters on.

"Everyone has their reservations, naturally. You being from the coal district. But I said, and this was very clever of me, I said, 'Well, if you put enough pressure on coal it turns to pearls!'"She seems simply delighted with herself.

"Unfortunately, I can't seal the sponsor deals for you. Only Haymitch can do that," says Effie grimly. "But don't worry, I'll get him to the table at gunpoint if necessary." Well I wish you the best of luck Effie, I only hope I can persuade Haymitch myself.

Were shown to our rooms, which are bigger than the entire bakery back home. Thick cream carpets, a huge blue bed, a table with a menu delivering hot food through a hatch in less than a minute. I don't take long to enjoy the surroundings however, I have a plan. I quickly rush in to the shower, which has so many different buttons and settings it takes longer than I thought it would. I end up covering myself in a thick pink soap which leaves me smelling strongly of roses.

After I pick out an outfit from the extensive clothes selection in the wardrobe, I decide to head down to the sitting room. Dinner isn't for hours yet but I need to talk to Cinna. I find him Portia and Effie sitting on a sofa together.

"Cinna?" He looks round at me. "Can I have a word?" I say, the others look round at me. "In private." I add apologetically.

"Sure Peeta, come with me." I follow him to a flight of stairs which leads up in to a sort of dome. We go through a door and I'm met with a cool breeze. I realise that we must me on the roof of the training centre, the dome in the middle, and on the other side I can see the greenery of what must be a garden. I have a few moments to take in the remarkable view of the Capitol, before I notice Cinna looking at me quizzically. I take a deep breath.

"Why do they let us up here, aren't they worried someone will jump off? I mean they can't have their games, if they don't have any tributes." I ask.

"Try it, put your hand out." He says. I do and my hand receives a sharp zap, before I pull it back.

We stand in silence for another few minutes, until I start speaking.

"I know that Katniss's stylist but I need to ask you something. Something you can't tell Katniss." I say. He nods, and I know that he understands.

"If I win and go home, it won't benefit anyone. You saw the reaping, Katniss has a family to depend on. They'll starve without her. She's strong she can hunt, I know that she can do it. I need your help to get her home." Cinna doesn't say anything for a few moments.

"You really love her don't you?" He says quietly. I look at him surprised.

"From the first moment I saw her. When we were five years old." I breath back.

"You can see it in your eyes." He says back. "Peeta, what I have planned for Katniss will make her truly memorable with the audience. She has as good a chance as any, but I swear I'm going to do all I can to help her." I nod and turn away, I'm about to descend down the stairs when Cinna talks again.

"Peeta, I think what your doing is truly selfless and admirable. You should be proud of yourself."

I go down the stairs closely followed by Cinna and I go in to the dining room. There's a balcony overlooking the Capitol. I go and stand on it, joined a few seconds later by Portia and Cinna.

"Is everything okay?" Portia asks. No, I'm going be dead in a week, and even though I'm slightly reassured by Cinna's words, there really is no guarantee of Katniss's safety.

"Yeah Portia everything's fine." I say, "thank you both for your hard work with the opening ceremony." Just then I notice the door to the dining room opens, Katniss and Effie come in.

"Come in, come in, sit down!" Effie trills. A man in a white tunic offers us all glasses of wine, and I figure that I might as well try it. Haymitch turns up just as dinner is being served, and I'm surprised to see that he and Effie are actually being polite to each other. The meal is delicious, mushroom soup, bitter greens with tomatoes the size of peas, rare roast beef sliced as thin as paper, noodles in a green sauce, cheese that melts on your tongue served with sweet blue grapes.

I notice that Katniss's eyes are becoming slightly foggy, it must be the wine, I'm starting to feel slightly foggy myself. I switch to water instead.

Another girl in a white tunic with red hair places a cake on the table before setting it on fire. Katniss looks at the girl.

"What makes it burn? Is it alcohol? That's the last thing I wa — oh! I know you!" Her eye brows contract in vague recognition. I notice that none of the adults are eating anymore, they're all looking at Katniss with wide eyes.

"Don't be ridiculous, Katniss. How could you possibly know an Avox?" snaps Effie. "The very thought."

"What's an Avox?" Katniss asks confused.

"Someone who committed a crime. They cut her tongue so she can't speak," says Haymitch. "She's probably a traitor of some sort. Not likely you'd know her."

The thought makes me feel slightly sick. I instantly feel sorry for the poor red haired girl. No one deserves the fate that she got.

"And even if you did, you're not to speak to one of them unless it's to give an order," says Effie. "Of course, you don't really know her."

Katniss just looks shocked, "No, I guess not, I just —" she stammer I know that I have to help her out. I snap my fingers,

"Delly Cartwright. That's who it is. I kept thinking she looked familiar as well. Then I realized she's a dead ringer for Delly." It seems to work, Katniss's face fills with relief, and the energy around the table relaxes.

"Of course, that's who I was thinking of. It must be the hair," she says.

"Something about the eyes, too," I say nodding.

"Oh, well. If that's all it is," says Cinna. "And yes, the cake has spirits, but all the alcohol has burned off. I ordered it specially in honor of your fiery debut."

I watch Katniss carefully, she still looks slightly wary. It's clear that the presence of this Avox girl has unnerved her. We eat the cake, and when were finished we move in to the sitting room to watch the re-cap of the opening ceremony. A few of the other couples look nice, but none of them make the impression that we do. Even our own party lets out gasps of delight when they see our entrance. I have to say I don't blame them. Katniss in particular looks breathtaking, no wonder the crowd was going crazy for her.

"Whose idea was the hand holding?" asks Haymitch.

"Cinna's," says Portia.

"Just the perfect touch of rebellion," says Haymitch. "Very nice."

That's when I notice how it isn't just the fire that makes us stand out. All of the other couples are standing apart, not even acknowledging the others existence. When we roll in tightly clenching the others hand, it distinguishes us immediately.

"Tomorrow morning is the first training session. Meet me for breakfast and I'll tell you exactly how I want you to play it," says Haymitch to Katniss and I. "Now go get some sleep while the grown-ups talk."

We do as we're told, walking down the corridor together until we reach her door. I'm intrigued by her reaction to the Avox girl. I lean against her door, looking her straight in the eye.

"So, Delly Cartwright. Imagine finding her lookalike here." I say. She looks at me carefully, as if deciding whether I'm trustworthy or not. I've just proved that haven't I?

"Have you been on the roof yet?" I ask. She shakes her head, still looking at me with a careful eye.

"Cinna showed me. You can practically see the whole city. The wind's a bit loud, though."

"Can we just go up?" she asks.

"Sure, come on," I say. We go up the flight of stairs, and out of the door in the dome, and on to the roof itself. We walk up to the edge and lean on the railings.

"I asked Cinna why they let us up here. Weren't they worried that some of the tributes might decide to jump right over the side?" I say.

"What'd he say?" She asks.

"You can't," I reply. I hold out arm and with in seconds there's the sharp zap and I pull it back. "Some kind of electric field throws you back on the roof."

"Always worried about our safety," she says softly. "Do you think they're watching us now?" she adds. I look over my shoulder, and notice that I never got to see the garden earlier.

"Maybe," I admit. "Come see the garden." Only in the Capitol could they build such a thing on the roof of a skyscraper. There's flowerbeds and potted plants, with wind chimes hanging from branches of tree's. Katniss pretends to be examining a nearby blossom.

"We were hunting in the woods one day. Hidden, waiting for game," She whispers.

"You and your father?" I whisper back.

"No, my friend Gale. Suddenly all the birds stopped singing at once. Except one. As if it were giving a warning call. And then we saw her. I'm sure it was the same girl. A boy was with her. Their clothes were tattered. They had dark circles under their eyes from no sleep. They were running as if their lives depended on it," she says.

"The hovercraft appeared out of nowhere," she continues "I mean, one moment the sky was empty and the next it was there. It didn't make a sound, but they saw it. A net dropped down on the girl and carried her up, fast, so fast like the elevator. They shot some sort of spear through the boy. It was attached to a cable and they hauled him up as well. But I'm certain he was dead. We heard the girl scream once. The boy's name, I think. Then it was gone, the hovercraft. Vanished into thin air. And the birds began to sing again, as if nothing had happened."

Her story is haunting, and I don't blame her for her reaction earlier.

"Did they see you?" I ask.

"I don't know. We were under a shelf of rock," she replies, looking at her feet. The wind is fiercer now, and I notice goose pimples have appeared on her body.

"You're shivering," I say, and I wrap my jacket around her shoulders. She takes a step back at first, but then I think she decides to just accept my gesture.

"They were from here?" I ask, as I secure a button at her neck. She just nods.

"Where do you suppose they were going?"

"I don't know that," she says, and pauses for a few moments. "Or why they would leave here."

"I'd leave here," I blurt out suddenly. I don't mean to, it's as if the words just fell out of my mouth. I laugh trying to cover my tracks. "I'd go home now if they let me. But you have to admit, the food's prime." She looks at me but doesn't say anything. I'm starting to get cold myself now. "It's getting chilly. We better go in," I say.

We get inside the dome and I ask, "Your friend Gale. He's the one who took your sister away at the reaping?"

"Yes. Do you know him?" She asks.

"Not really. I hear the girls talk about him a lot. I thought he was your cousin or something. You favour each other," I say.

"No, we're not related," she says, looking at me. Yes Katniss I know you're not related, I just wanted to see how you react when you talk about him.

I nod, "Did he come to say good-bye to you?" I ask.

"Yes, so did your father. He brought me cookies." She says. This surprises me, I know that my father once knew her mother, but I don't think he ever had much to do with Katniss. She mentioned her a few times, just to compliment her hunting abilities mostly. I know that like me, he would love to go out and give Primrose one of the cakes, but my mother would never have allowed it. I raise my eyebrows, trying to act unconcerned.

"Really? Well, he likes you and your sister. I think he wishes he had a daughter instead of a houseful of boys." I say. "He knew your mother when they were kids," I add, as if trying to justify his actions.

"Oh, yes. She grew up in town," she says, her eyes widening slightly. When we get back to her door she gives me back my jacket.

"See you in the morning then." She says.

"See you," I reply, before turning and heading down the hall to my own room.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

I dream about her again that night. It's not the first time she's visited me in my sleep, but even so, it unnerves me slightly. I'm standing by the back door to the bakery, with a loaf of bread in my hand. She's sitting up in the old apple tree, her face skeletal once again. I run to her hoping to give her the bread, and stop her from starving. But before I get there she bursts in to flames, and with in seconds the fire has burned the flesh from her body, and she's nothing but a pile of bones.

I awake in a cold sweat, thinking it must still be the middle of the night, but when I open my eyes, I see fluffy white clouds, and a grey mist settling over the Capitol buildings. I'm relieved that I won't have to be haunted by those dreams until tonight, and I get out of bed. I pay more attention to the settings of the shower this time, and I end up nicely clean and not reeking of roses.

I get out of the shower and dry off, when I come back in to my room, I see that an outfit has been laid by the wardrobe for me. Black trousers, a long sleeved burgundy tunic, and leather boots.

Within half an hour Haymitch is knocking on my door, and we walk down to breakfast together. Katniss is already in there, so I go and fill up my plate, and sit down to join her. I notice that we're wearing the exact same thing. This doesn't really bother me, but I can see that Katniss looks slightly irritated at me. Seeing as I haven't spoken to her since last night, and the fact that she eyeing the burgundy tunic, makes me come to the conclusion that it's my clothes she's annoyed with. I guess that Cinna wants to present us as a team to the other tributes.

Once Haymitch has finished eating, he takes a long swig from his silver flask, and starts talking,

"So, let's get down to business. Training. First off, if you like, I'll coach you separately. Decide now." He says.

"Why would you coach us separately?" Katniss asks.

"Say if you had a secret skill you might not want the other to know about," says Haymitch. I exchange a look with Katniss.

"I don't have any secret skills," I say. "And I already know what yours is, right? I mean, I've eaten enough of your squirrels."

"You can coach us together," she says, and I nod in agreement.

"All right, so give me some idea of what you can do," says Haymitch. I might as well be honest with him.

"I can't do anything," I say. "Unless you count baking bread."

"Sorry, I don't. Katniss. I already know you're handy with a knife," says Haymitch.

"Not really. But I can hunt with a bow and arrow." She says.

"And you're good?" asks Haymitch. She goes quiet for a few seconds. "I'm all right," she says. No your not, your far better than "alright." Why isn't she telling Haymitch how good she is? I decide to intervene, he needs to know what she can do if he's going to help her.

"She's excellent," I say. "My father buys her squirrels. He always comments on how the arrows never pierce the body. She hits every one in the eye. It's the same with the rabbits she sells the butcher. She can even bring down deer." She looks at me with narrowed eyes.

"What are you doing?" she asks suspiciously.

"What are you doing? If he's going to help you, he has to know what you're capable of. Don't underrate yourself," I say simply. She starts to look even more annoyed. I don't really get why, I'm trying to help her.

"What about you? I've seen you in the market. You can lift hundred-pound bags of flour," she snaps at me, "I snap at him. "Tell him that. That's not nothing."

"Yes, and I'm sure the arena will be full of bags of flour for me to chuck at people. It's not like being able to use a weapon. You know it isn't," I shoot back at her.

"He can wrestle, he came in second in our school competition last year, only after his brother." She says to Haymitch.

This exasperates me slightly. "What use is that? How many times have you seen someone wrestle someone to death?" I say it perhaps slightly more harsher than I meant it to sound.

"There's always hand-to-hand combat. All you need is to come up with a knife, and you'll at least stand a chance. If I get jumped, I'm dead!" her voice is rising now.

This really annoys me and the words my mother said to me when she came to say goodbye come back to me. "But you won't! You'll be living up in some tree eating raw squirrels and picking off people with arrows. You know what my mother said to me when she came to say good-bye, as if to cheer me up, she says maybe District Twelve will finally have a winner. Then I realized, she didn't mean me, she meant you!" My own voice is getting louder now.

"Oh, she meant you," she says with a wave of dismissal.

"She said, 'She's a survivor, that one.' She is," I say looking straight in to her grey eyes. She doesn't know what to say to that. Her eyes flicker down to the roll in her hands.

"But only because someone helped me." She sounds like a child when she says that. My own eyes look at the roll she's holding, and I know she's talking about that day five years ago at the bakery. I shrug "People will help you in the arena. They'll be tripping over each other to sponsor you." I say.

"No more than you," She says. I roll my eyes and look at Haymitch.

"She has no idea. The effect she can have." I look down at the table, running my nail along the grain in the wood. I've never come this close to letting her know I really felt before. It's Haymitch that breaks the silence.

"Well, then. Well, well, well. Katniss, there's no guarantee they'll be bows and arrows in the arena, but during your private session with the Gamemakers, show them what you can do. Until then, stay clear of archery. Are you any good at trapping?"

"I know a few basic snares," she mutters.

"That may be significant in terms of food," says Haymitch. "And Peeta, she's right, never underestimate strength in the arena. Very often, physical power tilts the advantage to a player. In the Training Center, they will have weights, but don't reveal how much you can lift in front of the other tributes. The plan's the same for both of you. You go to group training. Spend the time trying to learn something you don't know. Throw a spear. Swing a mace. Learn to tie a decent knot. Save showing what you're best at until your private sessions. Are we clear?" says Haymitch. We both nod.

"One last thing. In public, I want you by each other's side every minute," says Haymitch. Katniss starts to object, but Haymitch slams his hand on the table. "Every minute! It's not open for discussion! You agreed to do as I said! You will be together, you will appear amiable to each other. Now get out. Meet Effie at the elevator at ten for training."

We go back to our rooms to wait until ten o'clock, I hear Katniss's door slam as I open my own. I'm starting to feel nervous about meeting the other tributes, especially after the looks they gave us after the opening ceremony. I meet Effie by the elevator, and a few minutes later Katniss shows up. We go right down in to what must be the basement of the training centre. We walk in to the massive gym, where the other tributes are gathered in a circle, we're the last ones to arrive.

After we step in to the room, the head trainer, a woman called Atala steps up and starts talking. Experts in each skill will remain at their stations. We will be free to travel from area to area as we choose, per our mentor's instructions. Some of the stations teach survival skills, others fighting techniques. We are forbidden to engage in any combative exercise with another tribute. There are assistants on hand if we want to practice with a partner.

I take the opportunity the look around at the other tributes. As a suspected the tributes from 1, 2 and 4 look a lot better cared for than the rest. They look strong. I notice the pair from District 11 the huge boy, built like an ox, towering above the rest of us. Then the little girl, Rue I think her name was. When Atala stops talking the careers head straight for the deadliest weapons. The boy from 2 looks lethal with a sword.

Katniss hasn't moved or noticed that I'm standing next to her, so I nudge her arm. "Where would you like to start?" I ask.

"Suppose we tie some knots," she says.

"Right you are," I say, and we head over to the knot tying station. The instructor seems to like Katniss when he realizes she knows about setting snares, and he shows us how to set a few simple traps. We stay at the station for an hour until we've mastered it. I'm glad when we move on to the camouflage station, at least this is something that I'm mildly good at. I swirl the mud, and berry juices on my arms, weaving disguises from vines and leaves. At least the instructor seems pleased with my work.

"I do the cakes," I say to Katniss.

"The cakes? "What cakes?" she asks, turning to face me. I see she'd been watch the boy from 2 throw a spear at a dummy from fifteen yards.

"At home. The iced ones, for the bakery," I explain. She looks at the paint on my arm before saying,

"It's lovely. If only you could frost someone to death," she says, slightly sceptically. I decide to try and be funny.

"Don't be so superior. You can never tell what you'll find in the arena. Say it's actually a gigantic cake —" I begin

"Say we move on," she interjects.

The next three days pass relatively quickly, the gamemakers sitting in their private balcony watching our every move. We do manage to pick up some valuable skills, like how to start a fire, making a shelter, and knife throwing. Each day we eat lunch in a dining room off the gym. The careers always sit together, me and Katniss eat together, but most of the other sit by themselves.

I try to maintain a steady flow of conversation but it's not always easy. On the second day I empty the bread basket on our table, and talk about how they've included the breads from all the different districts. I'm trying to give the other tributes the impression that we're allies and friends.

"And there you have it," I say, scooping the breads back in the basket.

"You certainly know a lot," she says.

"Only about bread," I reply he says. "Okay, now laugh as if I've said something funny."

We both start laughing, and get a lot of stares from the other tributes. It's starting to get a bit tiring, but we follow Haymitch's direction.

"All right, I'll keep smiling pleasantly and you talk," I tell her.

"Did I ever tell you about the time I was chased by a bear?" she asks.

"No, but it sounds fascinating," I reply.

After lunch that day we were having a go at spear throwing, when I notice something. The little girl from 11 has been watching us for a few minutes.

"I think we have a shadow." I whisper to Katniss.

She throws her spear and turns around to look at the girl. I throw my own spear before saying,

"I think her name's Rue,"

"What can we do about it?" she asks quite harshly.

"Nothing to do," I say back. "Just making conversation."

She keeps joining us at several other stations. It turns out that she's quite resourceful, she can climb and is clever with plants. But what chance does she have against a 220 pound male with a sword?

Every night Effie and Haymitch grill us about what we did, and what we saw. I can tell that Haymitch is getting sick and tired of Effie's constant twittering. So one night on our way to bed, I mumble something to Katniss.

"Someone ought to get Haymitch a drink."

She makes a sound which sounds a bit like a laugh but then she says, "Don't. Don't let's pretend when there's no one around."

"All right Katniss," I say tiredly. We only talk in front of people after that.

On the third day of training, they start to call us out of lunch for our private sessions with the Gamemakers. District by district, first the boy, then the girl tribute. As usual, District 12 is slated to go last. We linger in the dining room, unsure where else to go. No one comes back once they have left. As the room empties, the pressure to appear friendly lightens. By the time they call Rue, we are left alone. We sit in silence until my name is called.

"Remember what Haymitch said about being sure to throw the weights." She says.

"Thanks. I will, you . . . shoot straight." I reply.

As I walk in it's clear the gamemakers have no interest in me. Most of them are picking at the massive feast that's been left for them. Nevertheless I go over to the weight lifting station, and start throwing them around. After about five minutes I notice that many of the gamemakers have started singing some drinking song, clearly not even bothering to try and focus what little attention span they have on me. I'm going be lying on the ground dead in a mtter of days, and they can't even be bothered to look at me. It disgusts me.

After another ten minutes of hurling the weights around they tell me I can go. I go up in the elevator and go to my room, to await dinner, and the gamemakers scores.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

After about an hour or so Effie calls me down to dinner. I'm glad to see that Cinna and Portia are there. Things are always a lot less awkward when they're here. When Katniss arrives I immediately know that something his wrong. Her eyes are red, her face blotchy. All I want to do is go over and hug her, comfort her, but I know I can't do that. During the soup I catch her eye and raise my eyebrows, trying to ask the question without speaking. What happened? She just gives her head a small shake.

It's during the main course that Haymitch just comes out with it.

"Okay, enough small talk, just how bad were you today?" I jump in straight away.

"I don't know that it mattered. By the time I showed up, no one even bothered to look at me. They were singing some kind of drinking song, I think. So, I threw around some heavy objects until they told me I could go."

"And you, sweetheart?" says Haymitch.

"I shot an arrow at the Gamemakers." My mouth drops open slightly and I just stare at her. I notice that everyone else has done the same. Yes, I was angry at the gamemakers but I didn't go that far. I suppose Katniss is a lot more fiery than me.

"You what?" Effie sounds horrified.

"I shot an arrow at them. Not exactly at them. In their direction. It's like Peeta said, I was shooting and they were ignoring me and I just . . . I just lost my head, so I shot an apple out of their stupid roast pig's mouth!" I have to admire the determination in her voice.

"And what did they say?" says Cinna carefully.

"Nothing. Or I don't know. I walked out after that," she says.

"Without being dismissed?" gasps Effie.

"I dismissed myself," she says simply.

"Well, that's that," says Haymitch. Then he butters a roll.

"Do you think they'll arrest me?" she asks nervously.

"Doubt it. Be a pain to replace you at this stage," says Haymitch.

"What about my family? Will they punish them?" I know that this is what she's been fearing, she's only here because she wanted to protect Primrose.

"Don't think so. Wouldn't make much sense. See they'd have to reveal what happened in the Training Center for it to have any worthwhile effect on the population. People would need to know what you did. But they can't since it's secret, so it'd be a waste of effort," says Haymitch. "More likely they'll make your life hell in the arena."

"Well, they've already promised to do that to us any way," I say grimly.

"Very true," says Haymitch. "What were their faces like?" he adds with a chuckle.

Katniss starts to smile, "Shocked. Terrified. Uh, ridiculous, some of them. One man tripped backward into a bowl of punch."

Haymitch guffaws and we all start laughing except Effie, although even she is suppressing a smile. "Well, it serves them right. It's their job to pay attention to you. And just because you come from District Twelve is no excuse to ignore you." Then her eyes dart around as if she's said something totally outrageous. "I'm sorry, but that's what I think," she says to no one in particular.

"I'll get a very bad score," Katniss says.

"Scores only matter if they're very good, no one pays much attention to the bad or mediocre ones. For all they know, you could be hiding your talents to get a low score on purpose. People use that strategy," says Portia.

I hope that's how people interpret the four I'll probably get," I say. "If that. Really, is anything less impressive than watching a person pick up a heavy ball and throw it a couple of yards. One almost landed on my foot."

Katniss smiles widely at me, which instantly makes me feel better. Once we've finished eating we go in to the sitting room and await our scores. First they show a photo of the tribute, then flash their score below it. As predicted the careers get very high scores ranging from about 8 to 10. District 12 is last, my face flashes on the screen, with a silver eight rotating underneath it. I'm relieved, Effie squeals with delight, and Portia pats me on the back with a smile.

Then Katniss comes up with her score. Eleven. Effie screams, everyone is congratulating her, she sits there looking stunned.

"There must be a mistake. How . . . how could that happen?" she asks Haymitch.

"Guess they liked your temper," he says. "They've got a show to put on. They need some players with some heat."

"Katniss,the girl who was on fire," says Cinna, and he hugs her. "Oh, wait until you see your interview dress." "More flames?" she asks. "Of a sort," he says mischievously.

Katniss looks over at me, "Congratulations," I say with a smile, and I mean it, she obviously deserved the score.

"You too," she says, smiling back.

We go up to bed soon after that. I sit on bed and think back on the days events. It's all well and good having Cinna on my side, and Katniss clearly made an impression on the gamemakers, but if I'm really going to help her I need to speak to Haymitch. It's the interviews the day after tomorrow, and the after that we're in the arena.

I get undressed and get in to bed. Tomorrow I'm going to have to explain things properly to Haymitch, and see if we can come up with a plan. I lie back on the bed, thinking about home for one of the first times since I arrived in the Capitol. I wonder how my family would have reacted to seeing me ablaze at the opening ceremony. My father at least must think I have a chance, I did get an eight in training. My mother gave up on me the moment my name was drawn from the reaping ball. But how can I blame her when I've given up on myself?

I wake up relatively early, and go and shower. My eyes are still puffy and tired, so I end up smelling of roses again. I go down to the dining room and find Haymitch and Effie already sitting there.

"Haymitch I need to talk to you." I say seriously. He looks at me quizzically.

"What is it?" he says.

I sit down at the table, and take a deep breath, "I want to be coached separately." I say quickly. Haymitch's momentary look of surprise fades away quickly.

"Alright, I understand." He says. No you don't Haymitch. You think I'm being selfish thinking about how I'm going to save myself. How wrong you are. Effie goes off to wake Katniss.

"I want to come up with a proper plan Haymitch." I add as Effie comes back in to the room, followed minutes later by Katniss.

Katniss sits down and looks at us all strangely, as if to ask why no ones speaking.

"So, what's going on? You're coaching us on interviews today, right?" she says.

"That's right," says Haymitch.

"You don't have to wait until I'm done. I can listen and eat at the same time,"

"Well, there's been a change of plans. About our current approach," says Haymitch.

"What's that?" she asks. She's going to think that I'm despicable. I only hope that she eventually finds out the truth. Surely Haymitch would tell her?

Haymitch shrugs. "Peeta has asked to be coached separately."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

For a second I see something in her eyes. Just for a second, and then it's gone. She's always been good at hiding her emotions, but I can tell that she's feeling slightly betrayed right now. I know I would be.

"Good," she says. "So what's the schedule?"

"You'll each have four hours with Effie for presentation and four with me for content," says Haymitch. "You start with Effie, Katniss."

Me and Haymitch go in to the sitting room and sit down. I talk first.

"Listen Haymitch, I don't much care what happens to me, but I care about Katniss, and I think that between the two of us we can help bring her home."

Haymitch just looks at me for a few moments. "Cinna told me what you said to him on the roof Peeta." He says quietly. "Are you sure it's what you want to do?"

I nod. It's all I've had to think about for the last few days, it seems like the best thing to do.

"Right okay, well you're going to tell her how you feel during the interviews tomorrow night."

I look at him alarmed. "What!"

"You're going to confess your feelings during your interview slot." He says.

"What would that achieve?" I ask him hopelessly

"The audience will go mad for young love." He says, "You'll be the star crossed lovers from District 12. It'll make Katniss stand out, give her a better chance of landing sponsors."

I nod, because I know he's talking sense. In a way I'm glad, at least I would have let her know how I feel, before my time runs out.

Haymitch leans back and looks at me.

"As for you in the arena, I think you're best chance of protecting Katniss is by teaming up with the careers."

I don't dispute this, Haymitch has proved himself to be more than useful today.

"That way," he continues, "you'll be able to hopefully direct them away from her, and keep her alive for longer."

"How would I go about teaming up with the careers?" I ask

"I'll talk to the mentors from Districts 1 and 2, you got an eight in training so they'll take you seriously on that score. But once you're in the arena, be sure to play your part well." I know only too well what that means; I'll have to act like a career. I'll have to kill just like them.

For the rest of the morning we go over the content for my interview. I try to go for a humorous angle, Haymitch seems pleased, but that doesn't stop me from feeling nervous about pouring out my feelings, live in front of the entire country.

We go in to lunch, and a few minutes' later Katniss storms in, in a raging mood. I'm guessing her four hours with Effie didn't go so well. I can't help but notice that she's wearing an evening gown that she's hiked up to her thighs. She looks very beautiful, even if she is scowling.

I go up to my rooms with Effie, and judging by the mood that Katniss came down in, I'm not in for a very fun few hours.

It actually isn't that bad. I practice walking properly, Effie instructs me to keep my chin up, not to swing my arms by my sides, and to not hunch my shoulders. After that I practice sitting up straight, and Effie's so pleased with me that she lets me go two hours early.

It's a nice day outside so I decide to head up to the rooftop garden. I sit down among the brightly coloured flowers, and breathe in their scent. I feel a lot better than I did this morning. I have a plan now, and all I need to do it wait and see if the careers will make an alliance with me.

I go down for dinner a couple of hours later, only to find that Katniss isn't there.

"Where's Katniss?" I ask the room at large.

"She said that she'd rather eat in her room tonight." Says Effie, "and very rude she was to me too." She adds huffily. By the sounds of it her private sessions didn't go too well.

I sleep slightly easier that night, knowing that I have a plan. I'm awoken by Haymitch, who shakes me by the shoulder.

"You're in with the careers," he says gruffly. "Their mentor just let me know."

I sit bolt upright. "Okay," I say. "So what do I do now?"

"The careers will stay around the cornucopia on the first day, you stay around there too, I guess they themselves will give you direction from there."

He pats me on the shoulder and leaves. I don't have long to sit and dwell on my thoughts though, and within minutes my prep-team have descended on me.

Septimus works on my hair, making it glow like candlelight, Cleopatra works on my skin, making that glow too. Accalia focuses on my face, erasing any blemishes and making it shine. She puts minimal make up on me, which brings out my eyes, whilst still making me look masculine.

They work on me until the afternoon, when Portia finally comes in carrying a garment bag, which can only contain my suit. She makes me turn away from the mirror as I put it on. Then I turn and see how striking I look. I'm wearing a black suit with flame accents, tying in with the opening ceremony.

"Thank you Portia," I say quietly before I turn and hug her. She looks taken aback but pleased and hugs me back.

"And thank you to all of you too." I say turning to my prep team and hugging each of them in turn.

"Are you ready to go?" Portia asks, I nod and we go down to the elevator where the rest of the District 12 crowd are waiting. Katniss looks unbelievably beautiful, I can't take my eyes off her. Cinna has designed her a dress that glints beautifully in the light, seems to be made of hundreds of tiny glowing jewels. Her face is dramatically made up, her skin like glowing satin. We both accept Effie and Haymitch's compliments before going down in the elevator.

The other tributes are being lined up to take the stage, where all twenty four of us will sit during the interviews. As the male tribute from District 12 I'm set to go last. We're just about to parade on to the stage when Haymitch comes up behind us and growls, "Remember, you're still a happy pair. So act like it."

If only we really were. We walk on to the stage and take our seats. I get to my chair without tripping, my hearts pounding though. The sight of an audience that big sends a jolt through me. I see Portia and Cinna sitting in the front row with the rest of the stylists. It's good to see a friendly face in that sea of Capitol weirdness. There's a large balcony to the right which is reserved for the gamemakers.

We all take our seats and the host Caesar Flickerman bounds on to the stage. He's done The Hunger Games interviews for over forty years, but his appearance has stayed more or less the same. The change is his hair and lips, which he dyes a different colour for every games. This year he's gone for powder blue.

Then the interviews are off, the pretty girl from District 1 who I noticed at the reaping is up first. I take note of the Careers names seeing as I'm allying myself with them now. Glimmer, Marvel, Clove, Cato, Navicula, Pisces. The tributes from 1, 2, and 4. The rest of the Districts slip by, and then Katniss's name is called. I see that she tries to wipe away her sweaty palms on her dress but they skid right off. I want to give her hand a reassuring squeeze, but she's half way over to Caesar. She shakes his hand and the interview is underway.

"So, Katniss, the Capitol must be quite a change from District Twelve. What's impressed you most since you arrived here?" asks Caesar.

Her eyes scan wildly over crowd, "The lamb stew," she says quietly.

I look down at my knees and smile, some of the audience is laughing.

The one with the dried plums?" asks Caesar. "Oh, I eat it by the bucketful." He turns sideways to the audience in horror, hand on his stomach. "It doesn't show, does it?" They shout reassurances to him and applaud.

"Now, Katniss," he says confidentially, "When you came out in the opening ceremonies, my heart actually stopped. What did you think of that costume?"

"You mean after I got over my fear of being burned alive?" she asks. She's done it, she's winning over the audience.

"Yes. Start then," says Caesar.

"I thought Cinna was brilliant and it was the most gorgeous costume I'd ever seen and I couldn't believe I was wearing it. I can't believe I'm wearing this, either. I mean, look at it!"

She starts twirling, and I take a sharp intake of breath, as the dress engulfs her in what look like flames.

"Oh, do that again!" says Caesar, and she does.

"Don't stop!" he says.

"I have to, I'm dizzy!" she says, giggling. I've never heard her giggle before, but I like it.

"Don't worry, I've got you. Can't have you following in your mentor's footsteps. Everyone's hooting as the cameras find Haymitch, who is by now famous for his head dive at the reaping, and he waves them away good-naturedly and points back to me.

"It's all right," Caesar reassures the crowd. "She's safe with me. So, how about that training score. E-le-ven. Give us a hint what happened in there."

She looks up at the gamemakers balcony and bites her lip, "Um . . . all I can say, is I think it was a first."

"You're killing us," says Caesar as if in actual pain. "Details. Details."

She looks back at the balcony, "I'm not supposed to talk about it, right?"

One shouts back "She's not!"

"Thank you," she says. "Sorry. My lips are sealed."

"Let's go back then, to the moment they called your sister's name at the reaping," says Caesar. His mood is quieter now. "And you volunteered. Can you tell us about her?"

Her voice is quieter now, I can tell that she really doesn't want to tell this entire Capitol audience about her, but she does.

"Her name's Prim. She's just twelve. And I love her more than anything." The audience is completely silent by now.

"What did she say to you? After the reaping?" Caesar asks.

"She asked me to try really hard to win."

"And what did you say?" prompts Caesar gently. When she speaks her voice is much lower.

"I swore I would." Don't worry Katniss if I have anything to do with it, you will.

I bet you did," says Caesar, giving her a squeeze. The buzzer goes off. "Sorry we're out of time. Best of luck, Katniss Everdeen, tribute from District Twelve."

The applause goes on for a long time, and then I'm standing up and walking over to Caesar. I shake his hand and my interview starts.

"So Peeta you're a bakers son right?" he asks with a smile. I play this angle up, comparing the tributes to the breads from their Districts. The audience is laughing and shouting out, I have them eating out of my hand.

"Tell me Peeta, what's the strangest thing you've come across in the Capitol?"

"Well Caesar, you have weird showers." I say laughing.

"Our showers are weird?" he says turning to the audience.

"On my first day I pressed a few wrong buttons," I say still laughing. "Tell me, do I still smell like roses?" then we do a whole routing where we start sniffing each other. The audience is loving it. The comes the moment that I've been both dreading and anticipating all day.

"So Peeta, a nice handsome guy like you, you must have a girlfriend back home?"

I hesitate and then shake my head.

"Handsome lad like you. There must be some special girl. Come on, what's her name?" says Caesar.

I sigh, this is the moment. "Well, there is this one girl. I've had a crush on her ever since I can remember. But I'm pretty sure she didn't know I was alive until the reaping."

There's sounds of sympathy coming from the audience. Good that's what I need right now.

"She have another fellow?" asks Caesar.

"I don't know, but a lot of boys like her," I say truthfully, thinking of Gale.

"So, here's what you do. You win, you go home. She can't turn you down then, eh?" says Caesar encouragingly.

My stomach lurches horribly, I only hope that I can get my words out properly.

"I don't think it's going to work out. Winning . . . won't help in my case," I say slowly. I can that the audience are hanging on my every word.

"Why ever not?" says Caesar, perplexed.

I blush uncontrollably, and I manage to stammer out, "Because . . . because . . . she came here with me."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

I feel the cameras on me for a few seconds, and then my eyes catch a glimpse of Katniss on one of the screens. Her mouth is half open, her face in an expression of half surprise and half protest. The audience drink in my words, realizing what and who I mean.

"Oh, that is a piece of bad luck," says Caesar, and there's a real edge of pain in his voice. The crowd is murmuring in agreement, a few have even given agonized cries.

"It's not good," I agree.

"Well, I don't think any of us can blame you. It'd be hard not to fall for that young lady," says Caesar. "She didn't know?"

I shake my head before saying, "Not until now."

I catch another glimpse of Katniss on one of the television screens, her face is glowing crimson with an unmistakable blush.

"Wouldn't you love to pull her back out here and get a response?" Caesar asks the audience. The crowd screams assent. "Sadly, rules are rules, and Katniss Everdeen's time has been spent. Well, best of luck to you, Peeta Mellark, and I think I speak for all of Panem when I say our hearts go with yours."

The crowd goes mad, the noise they're making is deafening. Once they calm down I manage to choke out a small, "Thank you." Yeah thanks for sending us both in to our deaths. I'm sure their 'pain' for us will ebb straight away once the canons start in the arena.

I return to my seat, and as the anthem plays I see that me and Katniss are dominating almost every screen in the place. Separated only by a few feet. I think that the next few moments are even more nerve wrecking than the ones I spent on stage. We're filing back in to the lobby of the training centre, and up in to the lifts. My stomach is doing flips, wondering how Katniss is going to react.

She storms off in to one elevator with the tributes from District 5 in. I head to the other one and press the button for floor twelve. I've literally just stepped out of the lift, when I feel the hands shove in to my chest. I really wasn't expecting it so I trip and knock over a vase, which falls to the floor and shatters. My body closely follows, my hands landing in the shards, cutting my palms. It starts to sting badly and blood immediately starts pouring out.

"What was that for?" I say, aghast.

Her face is screwed up with anger, and she starts shouting, "You had no right! No right to go saying those things about me!"

The elevators open again, this time Effie, Haymitch, Portia, and Cinna get out.

"What's going on?" says Effie, a note of hysteria in her voice. "Did you fall?"

"After she shoved me," I say as Effie and Cinna help me up. I was only doing it for her, and my hands are really starting to become painful.

"Shoved him?" Says Haymitch, turning on her.

"This was your idea, wasn't it? Turning me into some kind of fool in front of the entire country?" She hisses.

"It was my idea," I lie, she needs to keep Haymitch onside at this point. I pull some of the spikes out of my hands, "Haymitch just helped me with it." I add.

"Yes, Haymitch is very helpful. To you!" she says, quite shrilly now.

"You are a fool," Haymitch says in disgust. "Do you think he hurt you? That boy just gave you something you could never achieve on your own."

"He made me look weak!" she shouts.

"He made you look desirable! And let's face it, you can use all the help you can get in that department. You were about as romantic as dirt until he said he wanted you. Now they all do. You're all they're talking about. The star-crossed lovers from District Twelve!" says Haymitch.

"But we're not star-crossed lovers!" she says. Haymitch grabs her shoulders and pins her against the wall. Part of me thinks this is going too far, but the other part knows that she needs to be told what this means.

"Who cares? It's all a big show. It's all how you're perceived. The most I could say about you after your interview was that you were nice enough, although that in itself was a small miracle. Now I can say you're a heartbreaker. Oh, oh, oh, how the boys back home fall longingly at your feet. Which do you think will get you more sponsors?"

She shoves him back, and steps away, breathing heavily.

Cinna steps forward, and puts his arm around her, "He's right, Katniss."

"I should have been told, so I didn't look so stupid." After all of her shouting her voice sounds a lot quieter.

"No, your reaction was perfect. If you'd known, it wouldn't have read as real," says Portia.

It suddenly hits me why she's so angry at me. It must be Gale, she must have been playing down their relationship when we talked about him earlier. I could never compete with him, and she must be worried that he'll get the wrong idea. I pull out another bloody piece of the vase and throw it away.

"She's just worried about her boyfriend," I say gruffly. I didn't mean it to come out so harsh, but I'm going to die for her, she'll see him again. My time is about to run out.

She starts to blush again, "I don't have a boyfriend."

"Whatever," I say. "But I bet he's smart enough to know a bluff when he sees it. Besides you didn't say you loved me. So what does it matter?"

I can see that some of her anger is ebbing away. The realisation of what I did will do for her is starting to sink in.

"After he said he loved me, did you think I could be in love with him, too?" she asks.

"I did," says Portia. "The way you avoided looking at the cameras, the blush."

"You're golden, sweetheart. You're going to have sponsors lined up around the block," says Haymitch.

With what seems like some huge effort, she turns to look at me. "I'm sorry I shoved you."

I shrug her words away. At the end of the day, I myself made sure that I'll never be the victor of these games.

"Doesn't matter, although it's technically illegal."

"Are your hands okay?" she asks.

"They'll be all right," I reply, even though more blood is starting to pour out now, making them sting worse than ever.

"Come on, let's eat," says Haymitch.

We go in to the dining room, but before the first course is served, Portia takes me out because my hands are bleeding too heavily. She takes me in to a small bathroom off the dining room and takes some bandages out of a cupboard.

"Was I convincing, Portia?" I ask as she bandages up my hands.

"You were perfect Peeta, you were always going to be convincing, because you were telling the truth." She says, turning her dark brown eyes on mine.

We don't say anything else, and ten minutes later we go back in to the dining room, where they've just finished the soup. As I sit down I notice Katniss is eyeing me guiltily.

Once we've finished eating -which takes a lot longer for me, as I find it quite difficult to manage my knife and fork-, we go through to the sitting room, to watch the re-cap of the interviews. I have to say that I'm very pleased with the effect my performance had. Katniss looks utterly vulnerable, beautiful, and unforgettable.

Once the athem plays, the screen goes dark, and a hush falls over the room. Our final goodbyes must be said to Effie and Haymitch here, as they won't go with us to the arena. They'll go to the Games Headquarters hopefully trying to sign up our sponsors.

Effie takes both of us by the hand and, with actual tears in her eyes, wishes us well. Thanks us for being the best tributes it has ever been her privilege to sponsor. And then, because it's Effie and she's apparently required by law to say something awful, she adds "I wouldn't be at all surprised if I finally get promoted to a decent district next year!"

She kisses us both on the cheek, before hurrying out of the room in apparent grief. Haymitch crosses his arms and looks us both over.

"Any final words of advice?" I ask, even though I know what my strategy is.

When the gong sounds, get the hell out of there. You're neither of you up to the blood bath at the Cornucopia. Just clear out, put as much distance as you can between yourselves and the others, and find a source of water," he says. "Got it?" He gives me a knowing look, and I nod.

"And after that?" Katniss says.

"Stay alive," says Haymitch. It's the same advice he gave us on the train, but he's not drunk and laughing this time. Katniss leaves the room to go to bed, and I stay behind to talk to Portia. As I watch her dark braid whip out of sight, a sense of unease comes over me. She was meant to find out how I really felt tonight, but it went wrong. She thinks I was acting for the camera's, and now it's unlikely that she'll ever know how really feel. Especially if she finds out that I'm with the careers. I turn back to face Portia, and look in to her kind eyes.

"I just wanted to thank you again," I say. "You've made her unforgettable, you've given her the best chance possible."

She smiles at me sadly, "Try and get some sleep Peeta," and I see tears are starting to form in her eyes. "You're going to need all the energy you can get." I nod and head out of the room.

I shower and climb in to bed. But of course sleep doesn't come to me. I see the flashing lights coming from the street below my window. Only the citizens of the Capitol would have a party at a moment like this. Hours must have passed but my brain just won't switch off. I sit bolt upright, craving the feel of fresh air on my skin. My room starts to feel stifling so I grab a jacket, slip on some shoes, and head out of the door. There's only really one place I can go. I climb the stairs and hurry through the door in the dome, sighing with relief as the cool hair hits my skin.

I lean against the railings, and look down at the thousands of tiny lights beneath. I can hear all of the sounds of the party now. Singing and music and car horns sounding. I keep thinking about what tomorrow will hold, and a sudden anger burns through me. It's because of the Capitol that I'll be forced to kill, I'm just another piece in another one of their games. I know that I have to try and stay myself, not let them change me beyond all recognition.

I must have been up here for about half an hour, when I hear a voice behind me that makes me jump.

"You should be getting some sleep." She says. I don't turn around, I'd know that voice anywhere, I just give my head a slight shake.

"I didn't want to miss the party. It's for us, after all." I say.

"Are they in costumes?" she asks.

"Who could tell?" I answer. "With all the crazy clothes they wear here. Couldn't sleep, either?"

"Couldn't turn my mind off," she says. I know the feeling, it's the one I myself have been contending with for the last few hours.

"Thinking about your family?" I ask. After all it's because of them that she's here in the first place. I think over those images of Prim at the reaping, walking up to the stage to what she must have thought to be certain death.

"No, all I can do is wonder about tomorrow. Which is pointless, of course. "I really am sorry about your hands." She says apologetically.

"It doesn't matter, Katniss," I say. "I've never been a contender in these Games anyway."

"That's no way to be thinking," she says.

"Why not? It's true. My best hope is to not disgrace myself and . . ." I hesitate, thinking of the best way to word my feelings.

"And what?" she says.

"I don't know how to say it exactly. Only . . . I want to die as myself. Does that make any sense?" she shakes her head.

"I don't want them to change me in there. Turn me into some kind of monster that I'm not." I really hope she understands what I'm trying to say. I want to stay being me. I don't want the Capitol to change who I am.

"Do you mean you won't kill anyone?" she asks slowly.

"No, when the time comes, I'm sure I'll kill just like everybody else. I can't go down without a fight. Only I keep wishing I could think of a way to . . . to show the Capitol they don't own me. That I'm more than just a piece in their Games," I say. It feels better to have voiced these opinions out loud.

"But you're not," she replies. "None of us are. That's how the Games work."

"Okay, but within that framework, there's still you, there's still me," I persist, trying to make her understand what I'm trying to say. "Don't you see?"

"A little. Only . . . no offense, but who cares, Peeta?" she asks. This makes another ripple of anger burn through me.

"I do. I mean, what else am I allowed to care about at this point?" I say, turning to lock my eyes deep in to the grey depths of hers. I never noticed before but there are tiny flecks of green intermingled with the dark grey of her irises.

She steps back before saying, "Care about what Haymitch said. About staying alive."

I give her a sad smile, "Okay. Thanks for the tip, sweetheart." I can see that this annoys her.

"Look, if you want to spend the last hours of your life planning some noble death in the arena, that's your choice. I want to spend mine in District Twelve." She says angrily.

"Wouldn't surprise me if you do," I say. "Give my mother my best when you make it back, will you?"

"Count on it," she snaps, turning around and going back to her room.

I stay on the roof for another hour or so, before going back to my, to try and sleep. I drift in an out of a doze, my families faces drifting in front of my eyes. Portia wakes me at dawn, and we head up to the roof.

The hovercraft appears, and as I put my feet on to the first rung of the ladder, I'm frozen on and lifted inside. I'm still frozen as a women in a white coat approaches me holding a syringe.

"This is just your tracker, Peeta. The stiller you are, the more efficiently I can place it," she says.

I feel the sharp jab in my forearm, and I feel the cold metal being inserted in to my flesh. I current releases me and Portia joins me in the hovercraft.

We're directed in to a sort of dining room, where breakfast has been laid out. It feels like my stomach has tied itself in so many knots that it's amazing it manages to hold anything. I try to eat as much as possible, as I have no idea when my next meal will be. I can barely taste any of it. After half an hour the windows black out, and I realise that we must have arrived at the arena. We're directed in to the catacombs that lie beneath the arena, and follow the directions to my launch room.

I shower and dry off, and as I go back in to the other room I find Portia holding a package that must contain my clothes. I get dressed in the simple tawny trousers, light green shirt, sturdy brown belt, and thin, hooded black jacket that falls to my thighs.

"The material of this is designed to reflect body heat, it might get quite cold in there Peeta." Portia says. I nod, because I don't think my vocal chords are working properly. I walk slowly around the room.

"Does it fit okay?" she asks. I nod again still pacing the room.

"What you're doing is admirable Peeta," she says softly. "I'm proud to have known you, even if it has been for such a short amount of time." I stop pacing and look at her.

"Thank you," I croak.

The a cool female voice announces it's time for launch. A jolt runs through me and I clench Portia's hand as I walk over to the metal plate in the corner of the room.

"Goodbye Portia," I whisper as the glass cylinder closes around me. She mouths something back, but I can't hear her through the thick glass.

The plate begins to rise, and for about fifteen seconds I'm immersed in darkness. My breath is coming out in sharp jabs, and I'm amazed that I can't hear my heart, it's thumping so hard. I bring a trembling hand up to shield my eyes from the sudden brightness that's erupting around me. I smell grass, and feel a soft wind blowing.

Then I hear the legendary announcer, Claudius Templesmith, as his voice booms all around me.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games begin!"


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven 

I look around me, there's a vast expanse of woods behind me, which stretch for miles. There's what looks like a cliff drop in front of me, but I see tufts of grass beyond it, indicating that it must just be a deep slope. There's a huge lake lying to my far right. "find a source of water." Haymitch's last words play in my head. Judging from the previous years the careers will stay around the Cornucopia, meaning that my water source has been found. I hope for Katniss's sake that the lake isn't the only water source.

We have to stand on the podiums for sixty seconds otherwise mines go off, but that time must be nearly up, I turn to look at the mouth of the Cornucopia, and that's when I see it. Glinting in the soft sunlight, a silver sheath of arrows and a bow lies innocently on a mound of blankets. I look wildly around, trying to find Katniss, she can't run in for it, she can't get herself killed. I see her about five tributes to my left, my heart sinks as she's poised to run. She suddenly turns her head and looks in my direction. I subtly shake my head at her, trying to silently say, "Don't get drawn in, head for the woods."

The gong rings out, and we're off. The games have officially begun. I run towards the Cornucopia and reach it at the same as Cato the boy from 2. He picks up a vicious spear and throws it, immediately impaling it in the stomach of the girl from District 3. The adrenaline pumping through my body cushions the initial shock. I have to remember that I'm a career now so I pick up a lethal looking sword, and turn to Cato. He's got a horribly satisfied look on his face, and he picks up another spear from the mouth of the Cornucopia.

The events can't have taken more than thirty seconds or so, and I see a dark braid which I know belongs to Katniss resting on top of a bright orange backpack. It disappears safely in to the woods, and I breathe a slight sigh of relief.

I pick up a knife and a sword, ready to fight my corner. The boy from 6 lunges at me with a knife, grazing arm, causing blood to leak out of the wound he caused. But before he can repeat the attack he's taken out by one of Clove's swords. The fighting goes on for hours, and I get worse injuries than the one on my arm. I can feel my face becoming bruised and swollen, my lower calf sustaining a gash making me limp. The one's who got drawn in to the blood bath never really stood a chance, and the tributes with any wits about them disappeared either in to the woods, or down in to the slope, long ago.

Bodies are strewn everywhere, the careers group up at the mouth of the Cornucopia. I'm surprised to see that the boy from District 3 is with them, clearly he had some skill thats worth keeping him alive.

I dart back through the carnage as quickly as my leg will allow, to re-join the careers, when something grabs my leg. It's the girl from 10, she's an absolute mess. Her left hand has been severed and lies a few feet away from her body, the stump flowing blood. There's a huge gash, high up on her right leg. I can tell that she's a goner. Through the bubbles of blood at her mouth she's trying to say something. "Please, please." I know what she wants me to do. I look at the sword I'm still clutching.

"I'm so sorry," I whisper before I kneel down, and slit her throat. She convulses for a few moments, and then lies quite still.

I get to the other tributes in another few seconds. I notice Cato looking at me, did he see what I just did? Would he see it for what it was? An act of mercy, or for what a career would do. To eliminate the competition. He's just seen me participate in the bloodbath, surely I've proved my allegiance?

"We're going to get all of these supplies down by the lake, and then we're going to hunt." I can tell by his tone that he doesn't mean animals.

We all start to lug the packages from the Cornucopia down to the spot I found by the lake. The canons go off when we've moved about half of the items. This indicates to the other tributes that the initial bloodbath is over. Each canon represents a dead tribute, I count eleven in all. I'll have to wait until tonight to find out exactly who has fallen.

By the time we have all of our stuff assembled it must be the early evening. I bandage my arm and leg as best I can, and then stop to look at exactly who is in our group. There's both from District 1, Glimmer and Marvel, then both from 2, Clove and Cato. There's only the girl, Navicula, from 4, and the boy from 3.

"Right we're going to go in to the woods and see what we can find." Cato says. Might as well say _who_ you can find Cato, I think. He points at the boy from 3 and girl from 4.

"You two stay and guard the stuff." He says before pointing at the boy. "Tomorrow you can do your thing." He grabs another sword from the pile, and heads off towards the woods. The rest of us grab more weapons, and torches from the mound and follow him.

We scour the forest for hours, until night properly falls, flashing our torches in to the trees for signs of life. A few hours in to the search, the seal of Panem plays, and the faces of the fallen tributes are reflected in the sky. The first to appear is the girl from 3, the one that I saw Cato impale. Then the boy from 4, I thought it was odd that he wasn't with us, I guess he just got caught up in the bloodbath like the ten others. The boy from 5, both from 6 and 7, the boy from 8, both from 9. Then finally the girl from 10. The one that I killed. I allow myself to breathe a silent sigh of relief. Katniss is alive and out there somewhere. I only hope that I can do enough with the careers to direct them away from her.

I feel very uneasy, walking through the dense layer of trees in the dark. The other careers all ate together during training, so they're familiar with each other. I can see that they're wondering why I'm even bothering to stay with them. I need to prove myself. We must be deep in to the night by now, it's starting to get very cold as well, I wonder why there aren't tributes starting fires. As if in answer to my question, I see a flickering up ahead. The others see it too, and start to get exited.

"Look!" hisses Glimmer, pointing. They break in to a run, and I follow suit. We break in the clearing with the fire, where the girl snaps awake instantly. It's too late though, and she knows it. I see her pupils dilate in fear, her breath starts coming up short. She starts pleading but it's no use, Cato's got a menacing smile stretched across his face.

He raises his sword, there's a glint of metal in the firelight, she lets out an agonized scream, and then the girls lying with a huge gash in her stomach, oozing crimson blood.

The group starts laughing, patting Cato on the back and congratulating him. I join in, purely for appearances sake. Clove shouts out, "Twelve down and eleven to go!" The rest start hooting appreciatively.

Glimmer and Marvel move forwards and start to check the girls pack.

"Nothing useful in there." Marvel says dismissively throwing her small backpack down.

"Yeah, nothing we haven't already got." Glimmer adds with a smile.

"Better clear out so they can get the body before it starts stinking." Says Cato. We all murmur in agreement and start heading forwards. We don't get very far though.

"Shouldn't we have heard a cannon by now?" Says Clove.

"I'd say yes. Nothing to prevent them from going in immediately." Glimmer replies.

"Unless she isn't dead." Marvel adds.

"She's dead. I stuck her myself." Cato says angrily.

"Then where's the cannon?" says Clove.

"Someone should go back. Make sure the job's done." Says Glimmer nodding.

"Yeah, we don't want to have to track her down twice." Marvel adds.

"I said she's dead!" exclaims Cato.

They all start bickering, and I'm anxious to move on as I'm sure I heard something in the trees nearby. It's time to prove myself to the careers.

"We're wasting time! I'll go finish her and let's move on!" I say quickly, heading back off towards the dying embers of the girls fire.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

As I reach the dying girl I kneel down beside her. She can't be anymore than fourteen, and she's murmuring for her mother. Her chest rises and falls quickly, and through the slash in her stomach I can see her intestines moving. She can't have long left, I take her hand.

"I want to go home," she breathes, tears glistening in her eyes. I touch her cheek.

"You will," I promise quietly. "You'll go home soon."

Her grasp on my hand tightens, as if she's trying to cling to life itself. Within thirty seconds she lets out a shuddering gasp, and lies still, quite dead. I lift my thumb and forefinger to her eyes, and slide them gently shut. I let go of her hand, and walk away, turning one last time to look at her frame.

"I'm sorry," I whisper. I walk slowly back towards the careers, feeling their eyes on me as I move towards their flashlights.

"Was she dead?" asks Cato

"No. But she is now," I say. Just then, the cannon fires. "Ready to move on?"

We take off at a run moving swiftly through the forest, but not finding anymore tributes. Dawn breaks and we decide to head back to our camp by the lake. We eat some food from the many boxes we have, and the Cato tells me and Navicula to take the first watch.

We sit in silence, our muscles poised in case of attack, but it never arrives. She's the first to break the silence.

"Who was it?" she says very quietly, and I know she's talking about the canon.

"The girl from 8, I think." I reply.

"Who—" she begins, "Cato," I reply.

"Poor girl never stood a chance," she says softly. I'm alarmed to see a single tear sliding down her face.

"Thinking of home?" I ask. She slowly nods, brushing the tear away, and tucking her long auburn hair behind her ear.

"I'm just worried about my mother." She says after a few minutes. My father died when I was very young, and my sister was killed at the games three years ago."

Something tells me that she isn't like most careers, who only focus on killing and bloodshed. Her mind is elsewhere.

"I'm all she's got left," She continues. "and if I die, she's left with no-one."

I reach over and grasp her hand, it's the best show of comfort I can give.

"I'm so sorry Navicula."

"It's Navy," she says, "my friends call me Navy."

We don't say anything else, and a couple of hours later, we're relieved from our watch duty by Marvel and Clove. I lie down on the soft grass and close my weary eyes. Sleep finds me a lot faster than I would have thought. When I awake it's early evening and the sun is beginning to sink.

Glimmer is sitting by the pile of food and weapons, but I notice two other figures up by the Cornucopia. I grab a knife ready to arm myself for attack, the figures are coming closer. But on closer inspection I see that it's just Cato and the boy from 3. They're both holding small circular objects with wires sticking out of them.

"Mines, Lover boy," says Cato with a sadistic grin. The ones under the podiums. "We're going to put them around the supplies, and anyone who tries to steal will be blown sky high!"

Of course, District 3 is responsible for electronics. That's why Cato bothered to keep him alive. I help them dig up the remainder of the mines and bring them over to pile of supplies. Cato jabs his spear at the boy, "You stay and sort this lot out, while we go and hunt." I see Glimmer has got her hands on the bow and arrows that Katniss so desperately wanted. I fight the desire to snatch them out of her hands.

All of us except the boy from 3, head back in to the eerie grass field. If I felt uneasy in the woods, the feeling is majorly increased standing here. The grass is tall, very tall, stretching way over my head. You get the feeling that just about anything could be hiding in there. We stay there all night, still finding no one, Cato getting more and more frustrated. It's the early hours of the morning when we make it back to the lake.

"Right, tomorrow we head for the woods, and we don't leave until we've got someone!" Cato growls.

By the time we've all rested and are ready to head out, it's late afternoon, and we see smoke rising from the woods. Clove immediately gets exited thinking it's another tribute fire, so we all rush off in to the trees. The boy from 3 stays behind, as he's still working on re-activating the mines.

I immediately know that the game makers have intervened by the heavy smoke that lies on the air. It makes my eyes stream and we all start coughing. My instant thought is "girl on fire." I have to remind myself that I didn't hear any canons and Katniss must be still alive, though what state she's in, I have no idea.

Glimmer screams and starts running, I look over and see why. There's a wall of fire in the trees, making its way towards us. We run coughing and spluttering until we escape it, collapsing in a clearing and falling unconscious. By the time we all awake its late morning, and the fire has gone. We're all suffering from the effects of it though, as we desperately try to cough up the smoke from our lungs, rub our streaming eyes, and clear our sinuses.

The trees are thinner here, and I realise that we must be near the edge of the woods, near the lake. We walk around until evening falls, finding nobody. We reach a small stream, and my heart sinks. Lying asleep by the side of the water is Katniss. She obviously hears us and jumps up sprinting in to the darkness. It's too late though, they've seen her.

"There she is!" Screeches Clove. The others point excitedly and begin the chase. The smoke has deadened our senses slightly so they're not as fast as they we're in the days before. Run Katniss, I think desperately. I pray that we take a wrong turn, and lose her. But then they start encircling a tree, and it feels like a bucket of ice has been tipped in to my stomach, as I look up and see her scaling it.

The looks on their faces are disgusting. Cruel smiles are curving their lips, sure that they've cornered her.

I can see that she's been badly hurt. Her hair's singed and there are cuts and bruises all over her. Nonetheless she smiles.

"How's everything with you?" She calls down cheerily.

"Well enough," Says Cato, still maintaining his cruel smirk. "Yourself?"

"It's been a bit warm for my taste," She says. The Capitol must be loving this. "The air's better up here. Why don't you come on up?"

"Think I will," He says.

"Here, take this, Cato," she says, handing the bow and arrows to him. I don't want to look at what happens next, but I need to keep my act up. I take a knife from my belt and pretend to polish it, all the while praying that the tree won't bare Cato's weight.

"No," says Cato. "I'll do better with my sword."

He starts to climb the tree, my eyes flicker upwards and to my delight, I see that Katniss has started to climb higher. The tree doesn't bare his weight for long, and soon enough he falls, bringing a branch down with him. Glimmer has a go, but she has the good sense to stop when she hears the branches starting to crack.

She comes down and we re-group. I need to think of someway to get them away from Katniss. Cato is fuming. They're starting to cook up a plan, so get up that tree and drag her down. I need to buy more time.

"Oh, let her stay up there. It's not like she's going anywhere. We'll deal with her in the morning." I say.

"Fine," Cato snaps. "I'll take first watch," and he positions himself against the tree.

I can't bring myself to sleep though, I need to stay awake, just to make sure that Cato doesn't come up with another plan, and kills her before I can stop him. I lay on the ground with my eyes half closed, so I can still see her frame high up in the tree. She climbs up and down the tree many times during the night, but I can't make out what she's doing. Eventually stopping after the anthem finishes. There have been no deaths today; the gamemakers must be getting impatient. The situation here should hold them for the time being.

After a couple of hours Cato tells Navicula to take watch. Another few hours after that Glimmer takes over. As a new day dawns fatigue overcomes her and she slumps against the tree trunk, falling in to a deep sleep. After a few minutes a hear a loud thump, and an intense buzzing fills my ears. I jump up, dropping my weapons and run, as fast as I can.

"To the lake! To the lake!" I hear Cato yell. Not before I feel the sharp stings of the tracker jackers. We make it to the lake, and I throw myself beneath its depths. The damage has already been done, the tracker jacker venom is working its way through my system and I'm starting to feel woozy.

I hear a canon fire, and still dripping I stagger back to the woods, thinking of Katniss. I grab a fallen spear, and crash through the trees. That's when another canon fires. Terrified that it might be Katniss I move faster. I see the hovercraft picking up the swollen remains of what had once been Navicula. I run in to the clearing and raise my spear, before making out the blurry shape of Katniss, holding a bow and arrow poised. My arms drop by my sides, and panic rushes through me.

"What are you still doing here?" I hiss. Cato and Clove could be back in seconds.

I push her with the end of the spear. "Are you mad?" I say still poking her.

"Get up! Get up!" she gets up, and that's when I hear the thudding behind me. Cato is back.

"Run!" I scream. "Run!"

I turn to face Cato, his face falling in to focus for just a few moments, the sunlight glinting on his sword. I hear it swish through the air, before I feel the blade plunging deep in to my flesh.


	13. Chapter 13

**I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who's written the really nice reviews. I'm not the most confident of people, and your lovely comments have given me the motivation to carry on writing. Please keep letting me know what you think, as I'm open to suggestions and I really love hearing what everyone thinks of the story :)**

Chapter Thirteen

The pain burns through my leg, and I feel a steady gush of blood making it's way down my leg. I fall to the floor, preparing myself for another attack, but it never comes. It looks like Cato has succumbed to his stings, something I know I'm not far away from doing myself.

I crawl through the undergrowth, dragging my useless leg behind me, eventually falling unconscious underneath a nearby bush. Nothing could prepare me for what I experience next. No one ever told me what effect tracker jacker venom has on the human blood stream. It's as if I'm falling through a stream of never ending nightmares. I watch helplessly as Robus falls in to the bread oven, his faces crumbling to ashes, as his screams ring out in my ears. Sol lies strapped to a table, in what can only be a Capitol hospital. I hear him shrieking in agonizing pain, as two doctors pull his tongue out by the roots. I sit paralysed with horror as they dangle the limp pink object before my eyes. Sol lies behind, his eyes glazed over, a torrent of blood pouring from his gaping empty mouth.

Then she appears. Katniss lies, on the floor of the bakery, so thin that I see the outline of every one of her bones clearly. In my hands I hold a huge basket of bread, but each time I try to move forward and give her some food, I hit an invisible wall. I'm yelling and screaming, banging my fists on the invisible glass. She turns her dead looking eyes on to me. They implore me to help her, but the glass won't move. I turn to see my mother standing beyond the glass, just feet away from Katniss.

"Help her!" I scream

"No one decent will buy burnt bread!" her voice rings out in my ears, repeating over and over again.

Katniss gives one last shuddering breath, and shuts her eyes. Dead.

Then I'm standing in the meadow, by the Seam in District 12. I can hear the buzz of the fence as it convulses with electricity. The sun's setting, spreading a warm orange glow over the woods beyond. I see movement in the trees, Katniss comes sprinting forwards. She's at the fence in seconds, and I have no time to warn her about the electricity. She reaches out a hand and clasps the barbed wire. Her body shakes uncontrollably as the electricity pulses through her. Her hair starts smoking, and she bursts in to flames before my eyes.

I open my eyes her screams still resonating in my ears. It must be early morning, the sun is just rising. There's no way of knowing how long I've been unconscious, maybe a couple of days, it could easily have been more though. I hear the soft sound of rushing water, I look over and see that I'm lying on the bank of a thin stream. The searing pain rushes through my left leg, and I know that I have to take a look at the damage done.

My blood turns cold. My leg has swollen to almost double the size, a deep slash high up on my thigh. Even through the blood, I can see it's gone right down to the bone. I swallow heavily, staying here isn't an option. I need to stay by the stream, keep myself hydrated. My legs so badly damaged I know I can't walk. I strip some berries off a nearby bush and stuff them in my mouth. I do recognise them from those days of training back in the Capitol so I know they're not poisonous.

I drag myself downstream for about half an hour, then I hear a canon sound. Hoping against hope it isn't Katniss I drag myself on. But the canon distracted me and I brush my damaged leg on a rock. Even that slight contact is agony, and I let a sharp gasp escape from me. Even worse than that I realise that I've left a trail. There's a smear of blood on the rock, I reach back and try to wipe the worst of it away, before dragging myself on.

By mid-day I have to stop. I lie flat on my back in the mud of the bank. I pick up a handful of mud and cover my face with it. I can't just lay here and wait for someone to come by and finish me off, so I camouflage myself. By the time I've finished it must be the late afternoon and I hear another canon. I feel completely overwhelmed and I let the tears flow. The realisation that it may well be Katniss that's dead by now, and the fact that judging by my leg I myself am going to be dead in a few short days, hits me.

My body is overcome with great shuddering sobs, my tears running down in to my mouth, leaving a salty bitter taste. The thought of my family watching me at home makes me stop. I hope the Capitol audience will just see it as me being worried for Katniss's safety.

I cry myself out, and replenish the layer of mud on my face. I lean over and drink from the stream. I lay back and stare at the sky. It seems inevitable that I'm going to end up dead in a few days, maybe a week tops. My wounds probably infected so I could die from that, or I'll die of starvation, there's no way I'm going to be able to find food in this state. I might die from drinking un-purified water, I left my supply of iodine down by the lake. Or some other tribute might stumble across me, and finish me off.

The sky gradually darkens, and the seal of Panem plays. This is the moment, the one where I'll find out if Katniss is still alive. The boy from 3 flashes up. Looks like he had fulfilled his usefulness, I wonder if it was Cato who killed him. It more than likely was, that guy is vicious. Then the boy from 10. I let out a long breath, but am taken up with fear once more. Yes Katniss's face didn't appear tonight, but I have no idea what happened on those days when I was incapacitated with tracker jacker venom.

Something tells me that she's safe. I saw Glimmer and Navicula stung to the point of death, Marvel, Cato and Clove must have been stung at least as badly as I was. The fact that the boys from 3 and 10 appeared in the sky tonight, tells me that they're up and on the move once more, but I suspect that Katniss is still alive.

I close my eyes, realizing just how tired I am, but the throbbing in my leg keeps me awake for much longer. She visits me in my sleep again. Silently darting through the forest, me blundering on behind her pleading with her to wait for me.

I must have been asleep for a long time, it's late afternoon by the time I open my eyes, Katniss's name on my lips. I keep expecting the hunger pangs to hit me, but they never do. The cold doesn't seem to affect me either, in fact I'm burning hot.

My mind keeps flashing back to the first time my eyes clapped upon Katniss Everdeen. The school yard over ten years ago, in a red check dress. Her beautiful long dark hair done in two braids down her bank.

I'm brought to my senses by the sound of a canon, and the nervous feeling returns. The suns setting, and after another ten minutes a second canon sounds.

The sky envelops in to blackness and the music is playing. Two canons went off, that means two more kids are dead. First to come up is Marvel from District 1. This surprises me, and makes me wonder if the career pack have started to turn on each other. The second face upsets me more. Little Rue from District 11. She was nothing more than a child, forced to die for the Capitols amusement. I see her body in my minds eye. She looks even smaller in death.

I wave of relief floods over me at the same time, making me feel guilty. There's can't be anymore than six of us left, Katniss among them. She can do it, I know she can.

When the next day dawns I know that the end is coming. I've lost so much weight in the last few days, my bones are becoming more and more prominent. My leg is spewing blood and pus, confirming that it's become badly infected.

The day passes by slowly, and I'm still lying camouflaged waiting for death to come for me. The gamemakers must be getting tired of watching me just lay here, surely they'll decide to do something soon. And do something they do.

The moons up, but the sky's remained quiet. No deaths today then. Claudius Templesmith's voice booms down from overhead, congratulating the six of us who remain.

"There has been a rule change tributes! For the first time in Hunger Games history, two tributes will be pronounced victors, if they both come from the same District." He pauses, and then repeats the message again. I'm nearly dead anyway, but maybe just maybe, Katniss will come and find me, and I'll be able to say good bye properly. I whisper her name on the wind.

"Katniss."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

It turns in to a waiting game, lying there wondering if she'll stumble across me. I try to keep myself awake, I'm camouflaged here, covered in mud and water plants, so I'll need to make myself known to her if she arrives. It's no use though; a combination of fever and fatigue pulls me down in to a deep sleep.

My dreams are rather surreal. I dream that I'm lying in the exact same position, and Katniss comes creeping past. I try to yell out, but I can't seem to get my voice working. I try to reach out an arm but I'm stuck fast in the mud, unable to move an inch.

I awake to a bright morning. I chew a few leaves off the plants on the bank. I don't feel remotely hungry but I've barely eaten for days, and I know that I need to keep eating. The leaves threaten to make a re-appearance though, and I only just manage to keep them down.

It's a much hotter day than usual, and my skin starts to feel like it's sizzling. I keep my eyes wide open, scanning down the river bank, and trying to peer over the rocks. That's when I hear someone coming. Soft foot steps making their way through the stream. I see a girl her muscles tensed, covered in dirt but not seriously harmed. A dark braid flipped over her left shoulder. My heart leaps at the sight of her. She came to find me, even though she must think I'm despicable for teaming up with Cato and the others. I told her to run though, I took Cato's sword for her. I suppose something like that doesn't go unforgotten.

Her brow is furrowed, her eyes scanning the riverbank. My camouflage must be better than I thought, she clearly can't see me.

"Peeta! Peeta!" she calls in a hushed voice. Her foot breaks the surface of the stream again, and I'm scared she'll move away without seeing me.

"You here to finish me off, sweetheart?" It's the first time I've spoken in days, and my voice is horse. She whips round.

"Peeta?" She whispers. "Where are you?" she creeps along the bank, getting closer to me. "Peeta?" Her feet are just inches away from me.

"Well, don't step on me." She looks down and gasps, I laugh at her reaction.

"Close your eyes again," she orders, and I do. "I guess all those hours decorating cakes paid off." She says.

"Yes, frosting. The final defence of the dying." I say.

"You're not going to die," She says firmly.

"Says who?" I retort in a ragged voice.

"Says me. We're on the same team now, you know," I open my eyes, and see that she's kneeled down beside me.

"So, I heard. Nice of you to find what's left of me." She pulls out her water bottle, and I drink from it.

"Did Cato cut you?" she asks. I'd been trying to ignore my leg for the last day or so, but now I'm forced to acknowledge it. I know that her mothers a healer, maybe she can tell me just what the damage is.

"Left leg. Up high," I answer.

"Let's get you in the stream, wash you off so I can see what kind of wounds you've got," she says.

I suddenly realise that unless there's a major fight going on somewhere, we're being featured on every screen in Panem. A major opportunity for sponsors, the star-crossed lovers from District 12 re-united. We need to play out this thing out for all its worth. I want to feel those lips on mine before I die.

"Lean down a minute first," I say. "Need to tell you something." She puts her ear to my lips, and I whisper softly.

"Remember, we're madly in love, so it's all right to kiss me anytime you feel like it."

She jerks her head back quickly, but ends up laughing.

"Thanks, I'll keep it in mind." She says.

Getting me in to the stream is easier said than done. I hadn't realised how much I'd deteriorated in the last few days. I can barely move an inch on my own. She tries to drag me, and despite my gritted teeth a sharp cry of pain escapes. It's just like my dream, the mud and water plants cement me to the ground. My leg is becoming so painful that the tears start falling from my eyes.

"Look, Peeta, I'm going to roll you into the stream. It's very shallow here, okay?" She says. She's trying her best for me, and I'm grateful for it.

"Excellent," I say.

"On three," She says. "One, two, three!" I bite down hard on the inside of my cheek, willing myself not to make a noise. It's no use, she stops after one full roll, strangled cries coming from my throat.

"Okay, change of plans. I'm not going to put you all the way in," She says.

"No more rolling?" I ask.

"That's all done. Let's get you cleaned up. Keep an eye on the woods for me, okay?" I do as she says, scanning the trees for signs of movement. I know I'm putting her in a dangerous situation here, and the relief I felt when I first saw her gradually turns in to fear. I can't let her die trying to help me.

She props me up against a boulder and takes off the clothes on my upper body. The mud is washed from my hair, face, and chest, allowing me to see just how thin and pale I've become. She digs out the stings from the tracker jacker lumps which I didn't have the sense to do myself. It's uncomfortable but then she pads a wad of leaves on the stings, which leaches the pain away instantly, making me sigh with relief.

The sun is high in the sky now, and I dry off quickly. Meanwhile she washes my jacket and shirt in the stream, leaving them on boulders to dry. She puts some cream on my chest, making the small burns disappear. She starts to look even more concerned, rummages around in a medical pack she's got. She hands me some pills.

"Swallow these," she says, and I do so obediently. "You must be hungry." She adds.

"Not really. It's funny, I haven't been hungry for days," I say honestly. She offers me a leg of what looks like chicken, but I wrinkle my nose at it, the smell turns my stomach.

"Peeta, we need to get some food in you," she insists.

"It'll just come right back up," I reply. But I force down the pieces of dried apple that she pushes on me. Thanks. I'm much better, really. Can I sleep now, Katniss?" My eyes are starting to feel heavy, and the warm sun making me feel sleepier.

"Soon," She promises. "I need to look at your leg first." Gently she inches shoes and socks off. I can tell she's trying to be as careful as possible, as she slowly slides my trousers off me. Her face falls when she sees the damage Cato has done to my thigh. I watch her carefully as she tries to fix her face to form a calm expression.

"Pretty awful, huh?" I say.

"So-so." She shrugs, trying to play down the injury. Unfortunately I'm not that easily fooled, I know that it's badly infected. "You should see some of the people they bring my mother from the mines. First thing is to clean it well." She says swallowing.

She slides me under a sheet of plastic that was in her pack, and washes down my lower body. She treats my burns and stings quickly, but they were never the real problem.

"Why don't we give it some air and then . . ." she trails off. She's clearly out of her depth, and I feel genuinely sorry for her. She never bargained on this.

"And then you'll patch it up?" I say in an encouraging voice.

"That's right," she says. "In the meantime, you eat these." She shoves some dried pear in to my hands, and goes to wash the rest of my clothes in the stream.

"We're going to have to experiment some," she admits grudgingly.

She presses some more of the leaves she used for the stings on to the wound. Pus starts to run down my leg, and I notice her face turn a faint shade of green. I feel like I need to break the tension a bit.

"Katniss?" I say. She meets my eyes, "How about that kiss?" I mouth, the corners of my lips twitching. She bursts out laughing.

"Something wrong?" I ask innocently.

"I . . . I'm no good at this. I'm not my mother. I've no idea what I'm doing and I hate pus," she allows a groan to escape her as she washes away the leaves, and applies a second round. "Euuuh!"

"How do you hunt?" I ask.

"Trust me. Killing things is much easier than this," She says. "Although for all I know, I am killing you."

"Can you speed it up a little?" I ask.

"No. Shut up and eat your pears," she says shortly.

She cleans the wound, and I get to see it properly for the first time. Just as I suspected, it's gone all the way down to the bone.

"What next, Dr. Everdeen?"

"Maybe I'll put some of the burn ointment on it. I think it helps with infection anyway. And wrap it up?" She says. "Here, cover yourself with this and I'll wash your shorts."

The last thing I care about right now is being naked. "Oh, I don't care if you see me," I say.

"You're just like the rest of my family," She says. "I care, all right?"

She turns her back, and I ease the undershorts over my leg. I lob them past her, and they land in the stream.

"You know, you're kind of squeamish for such a lethal person," I say amusedly as she beats the shorts clean between two rocks. "I wish I'd let you give Haymitch a shower after all."

"What's he sent you so far?" She asks.

"Not a thing," I say. Surely he sent her something. "Why, did you get something?" I ask.

"Burn medicine," She says almost sheepishly. "Oh, and some bread."

"I always knew you were his favourite," I say

"Please, he can't stand being in the same room with me," she says dismissively.

"Because you're just alike," I mutter. I know that our plan all along was to help Katniss, but surely he could have sent me something after the announcement that two could win? I fall asleep, only to be awoken in the late afternoon, by Katniss shaking my shoulder. At first a rush of relief floods through me as I realise that I didn't dream her. But the next thing she says has be slightly worried.

"Peeta, we've got to go now." I would have moved a long time ago if I could, I'm afraid my leg won't allow it.

"Go? Go where?" I ask

"Away from here. Downstream maybe. Somewhere we can hide you until you're stronger,"

She helps me get dressed, but leaves my feet bare so I can walk in the water. She pulls me up right, and I try to put weight on my leg. A burning pain sears through me the moment I try to put pressure on it, and I can tell that my face has drained of colour.

"Come on. You can do this." She says encouragingly. I try, I really do. I'm propped on her shoulder, and we make it about fifty yards downstream. I'm starting to feel light headed, and tiny lights pop in front of my eyes. I can't carry on for much longer. She pulls me in to a cave formation, about twenty yards further down.

I can tell that she isn't happy, but it'll have to do. I'm only just aware of the fact that I'm starting to shiver. She lays me on the floor, and tucks me in to a sleeping bag. She tries to make me eat, but I know it's no use. I'm going to die either way. I just lie there, looking at her beautiful face, as she tries to build a curtain of vines at the mouth of the cave. She's clearly not happy with it, so promptly tears it down. I need to tell her how grateful I am. She's putting herself in danger for me.

"Katniss," I say, and she comes over and brushes my hair back from my forehead. "Thanks for finding me."

"You would have found me if you could," she says. She's not wrong there, I would have tried to find her in a heartbeat if I could.

"Yes. Look, if I don't make it back —" I begin.

"Don't talk like that. I didn't drain all that pus for nothing," she says. I need to finish, I know that I'm dying, I need to ask her to say goodbye to my father for me.

"I know. But just in case I don't —" I try to continue.

"No, Peeta, I don't even want to discuss it," she says, placing her fingers on my lips.

"But I —"

The next thing she does takes me completely by surprise, but it's the best thing that's happened to me since my name was called at the reaping. She leans forward and presses her lips on mine. Flames ignite inside me, spreading to the tips of my fingers warming me throughout. I never want in to end, I just want to stay locked in this moment forever. She breaks away, pulling the edge of the sleeping bag around me.

"You're not going to die. I forbid it. All right?"

I can't tell her that I've given up after that.

"All right," I whisper. She steps outside of the cave, and I doze off again. Her voice penetrates in to my sleep. "Peeta!" It's such a warm tone, loving almost. She kisses me awake. It startles me slightly, I thought it was just going to be a one time thing, for the cameras. I smile, and gaze in to her face.

"Peeta, look what Haymitch has sent you." She says, holding up a pot.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter fifteen

Eating is still the last thing I feel like doing, but with a few more kisses I manage to swallow most of the broth. I feel lighter than I have done in days. I fall asleep with the shadows of her kiss, still playing on my lips. I wake up as the sun is rising. I look around the cave, and it feels like a stone has dropped in to my stomach. Katniss has gone. I struggle to sit up, I need to find out where she is. Did Cato and Clove find her, and take her off to kill her? Or did she realise that I'm a lost cause? I'm starting to really panic when she walks back in to the cave, carrying the broth pot.

"I woke up and you were gone," I say. "I was worried about you."

She laughs, and eases me back down. "You were worried about me? Have you taken a look at yourself lately?" she says.

"I thought Cato and Clove might have found you. They like to hunt at night," I say seriously.

"Clove? Which one is that?" She asks.

"The girl from District Two. She's still alive, right?"

"Yes, there's just them and us and Thresh and Foxface," She says. "That's what I nicknamed the girl from Five. How do you feel?"

"Better than yesterday. This is an enormous improvement over the mud," I say. "Clean clothes and medicine and a sleeping bag . . . and you." I say nervously. She reaches out to touch my cheek, I catch it and press it to my lips. I remember seeing my school friend Blye do this with his girlfriend Emilee. I know we have to keep an act up for the cameras, but something tells me that this is real, it's almost like I can see it in her eyes. Maybe I'm imagining it, but I know for sure that I'm not acting.

"No more kisses for you until you've eaten," She says.

I get propped up against the all of the cave, while she feeds me spoonfuls of mashed up berries. I still don't think I can face eating of the chicken stuff, which she tells me is called groosling. I can see purple shadows forming under her eyes, and she stifles a yawn.

"You didn't sleep," I say.

"I'm all right," She says, but I can see how tired she is.

"Sleep now. I'll keep watch. I'll wake you if anything happens," I say reassuringly, but I can see that she's hesitating. "Katniss, you can't stay up forever."

"All right," She says reluctantly. "But just for a few hours. Then you wake me."

She lies down on the floor of the cave, one hand on her loaded bow. I stay sitting up against the wall.

"Go to sleep," I say softly, and I brush the loose strands of hair of her forehead. I keep stroking her hair, until she drifts off to sleep.

Her face relaxes in sleep, and she looks incredibly beautiful. I feel like I could just sit here for days watching her. Nothings happening outside, and it's the most peaceful I've felt in weeks. It's late afternoon when she wakes up. She sits up defensively.

"Peeta, you were supposed to wake me after a couple of hours," she says disgruntled.

"For what? Nothing's going on here," I say. "Besides I like watching you sleep. You don't scowl. Improves your looks a lot."

This of course makes her scowl, and I grin. She touches my cheek, and starts asking me if I've been drinking the water. I lie and tell her yes, because I don't want her to get more worked up. She makes me swallow some more pills, and makes sure I drink down two quarts of water. She treats the remainder of my burns and stings, before unwrapping the bandage at my leg.

My heart sinks, but I make myself be strong for her. The swellings got worse, and I see red streaks starting to craw up my leg. Unmistakable symptoms of blood poisoning. She knows it too.

"Well, there's more swelling, but the pus is gone," She says in an unsteady voice.

"I know what blood poisoning is, Katniss," I say. "Even if my mother isn't a healer."

"You're just going to have to outlast the others, Peeta. They'll cure it back at the Capitol when we win," She says.

There's no way I'm going to outlast Cato and Clove. They're just too strong. "Yes, that's a good plan," I say for her benefit.

"You have to eat. Keep your strength up. I'm going to make you soup," She says. I'm worried she might start a fire, and I remember the first night. How Glimmer pointed excitedly at the flickering light ahead. How Cato viciously slashed her. How I held the girls hand as she died.

"Don't light a fire," I say. "It's not worth it."

"We'll see," she says, and takes the pot outside.

When she leaves, I struggle to hold the tears back. I'm closer to Katniss than ever, and I think she might even feel the same. But I'm going to die soon, and the brief happiness I felt, is sucked away.

I brighten up slightly when she comes back, but I'm finding it even harder to conceal my misery. She puts cool cloths on my head, but they're warming up very quickly. What I really want is a distraction, I need to leave my own head.

"Do you want anything?" She asks.

"No, thank you." I say, and then it occurs to me, "Wait, yes. Tell me a story."

"A story? What about?" She asks, slightly bewildered.

"Something happy. Tell me about the happiest day you can remember," I say. She sighs, sits and thinks for a few moments.

"Did I ever tell you about how I got Prim's goat?" She says. I shake my head and look at her.

She tells me about how she sold an old locket of her mothers, desperate to get enough money together to get Prim a birthday present. She went to the market in the square, looking for a hairbrush, or some material for a dress, when she saw the heard of goats. She says how there was one who'd obviously been mauled by a dog or something. Lying down in a cart, flies attacking the wound. She knew that her mother and Prim were the only ones who could help her. She got in to a bidding war with the goat man, eventually buying her. She says how she bought a pink ribbon to tie around its neck, and Gale carried her home for Prim. Prim was so excited she started crying and laughing all at once. Her mother was less sure, seeing the injury, but the pair of them went to work on it, grinding up herbs and coaxing brews down the animal's throat.

"They sound like you," I say.

"Oh, no, Peeta. They work magic. That thing couldn't have died if it tried," She says, falling immediately silent afterwards, realising what it must sound like.

"Don't worry. I'm not trying," I say jokingly, "Finish the story."

"Well, that's it. Only I remember that night, Prim insisted on sleeping with Lady on a blanket next to the fire. And just before they drifted off, the goat licked her cheek, like it was giving her a good night kiss or something," She says. "It was already mad about her."

"Was it still wearing the pink ribbon?" I ask

"I think so," She says. "Why?"

"I'm just trying to get a picture," I say thoughtfully. "I can see why that day made you happy." It makes me better understand why she volunteered for Prim at the reaping. The expression on her face when she told the story shows how much she values Prim's happiness.

"Well, I knew that goat would be a little gold mine," She says.

"Yes, of course I was referring to that, not the lasting joy you gave the sister you love so much you took her place in the reaping," I say drily.

"The goat has paid for itself. Several times over," She says, with a tone of superiority.

"Well, it wouldn't dare do anything else after you saved its life," I say. "I intend to do the same thing."

"Really? What did you cost me again?" She asks.

"A lot of trouble. Don't worry. You'll get it all back," I assure her. I'm starting to feel lightheaded again now.

"You're not making sense," she says, laying a hand on my forehead. "You're a little cooler though."

The trumpets suddenly start blazing, and she scrambles to her feet, and darts to the mouth of the cave. It's Claudius Templesmith, and he's inviting us to feast. Well food isn't the issue at the moment, and I'm glad to see that Katniss actually waves his offer away. But then he speaks again,

"Now hold on. Some of you may already be declining my invitation. But this is no ordinary feast. Each of you needs something desperately. Each of you will find that something in a backpack, marked with your district number, at the Cornucopia at dawn. Think hard about refusing to show up. For some of you, this will be your last chance,"

It's clear what will be sitting in the backpack with 12 written on it. Medicine for me. She can't risk her life for me. I won't allow it. I sit up, and grab her shoulder from behind.

"No," I say. "You're not risking your life for me."

"Who said I was?" She says.

"So, you're not going?" I ask.

"Of course, I'm not going. Give me some credit. Do you think I'm running straight into some free-for-all against Cato and Clove and Thresh? Don't be stupid," She says, helping me back to bed. "I'll let them fight it out, we'll see who's in the sky tomorrow night and work out a plan from there."

She's not convincing me. I can see only too well what her plan is.

"You're such a bad liar, Katniss. I don't know how you've survived this long." I begin to mimic her tone. "I knew that goat would be a little gold mine. You're a little cooler though. Of course, I'm not going. I shake my head, "Never gamble at cards. You'll lose your last coin," I say.

"All right, I am going, and you can't stop me!" I can almost see the anger flushing in her face.

"I can follow you. At least part way. I may not make it to the Cornucopia, but if I'm yelling your name, I bet someone can find me. And then I'll be dead for sure," I say.

"You won't get a hundred yards from here on that leg," she says dismissively.

"Then I'll drag myself. You go and I'm going, too." I say stubbornly.

"What am I supposed to do? Sit here and watch you die?" she says.

"I won't die. I promise. If you promise not to go," I lie. I'm a goner, she knows it, I know it, everyone knows it.

"Then you have to do what I say. Drink your water, wake me when I tell you, and eat every bite of the soup no matter how disgusting it is!" She snaps, clearly annoyed at my stubbornness.

"Agreed. Is it ready?" I ask.

"Wait here," and she leaves the cave for a few moments, returning with the pot of soup. I force myself to eat, scraping the pot to show my enthusiasm. I keep going on about how delicious it is, hoping this will convince her. The look on her face just grows darker and darker. I keep talking, until even I have no idea what I'm saying.

She comes back in ten minutes later, holding the pot aloft.

"I've brought you a treat. I found a new patch of berries a little farther downstream." She says. Remembering my promise, I open my mouth immediately. I suppress a shudder at the sweetness; they don't taste like any berry that I know.

"They're very sweet." I say, with a slight frown.

"Yes, they're sugar berries. My mother makes jam from them. Haven't you ever had them before?" She says, feeding me another spoonful.

"No," I'm puzzled, I've never heard of sugar berries, but the taste is slightly familiar. "But they taste familiar. Sugar berries?"

"Well, you can't get them in the market much, they only grow wild," She explains.

"They're sweet as syrup," I say, swallowing the last spoonful. "Syrup." I say, and then it dawns on me. Sleep syrup. I had some once after a particularly bad burn from the bread oven. I was asleep within a minute that time. She clamps her hands over my nose and mouth, forcing me to swallow. I try to make myself sick, but I know that it's no use. I'm rapidly loosing consciousness.

I give her one last look, hating her for doing this to me, but loving her beyond anything at the same time. I take her face in one last time, and then the sleep syrup pulls me down in to unconsciousness.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

When I awake the only thing I'm conscious of is the heavy sound of the rain outside. I keep my eyes closed, thinking I'm lying in my bed at home listening to the rain. Then I remember what happened the day before, and my eyes snap open. I gasp in horror as I look at the sight before me. Katniss is laying there, deathly pale, a pool of dark red blood pouring from a gaping wound in her head. My immediate thought is that she's dead, and guilt seeps through me. Then I see that her chest is slowly rising and falling, with unmistakable signs of life.

I feel a million times better, fever is practically gone, and the swelling on my leg is amazingly better. Even the deep cut has started to heal. I spot a syringe lying near my arm, with a tiny backpack and realize what Katniss must have done

I look out of the cave, and understand that it must be evening. I look back at Katniss, and realise that it's my turn to take care of her now. I climb out of the sleeping bag and rummage around in her pack until I find the first aid kit. I gently wash the congealed blood away from the wound on her head. I can see now that it's a knife wound, most probably caused by Clove. I lift her up and place her on top of the sleeping bag, before bandaging up her head.

Her boots and socks are soaking, so I gently prise them off her feet; wring them out as best I can, before setting them in the corner to dry. I see that she's wearing two jackets, one of them being my own. I don't want her to over heat so I unzip one, gently pulling it off her, and then tuck her tight inside the sleeping bag.

I start to shiver so I quickly slip my jacket on. Then I notice the water dripping down from the cave roof, softly plunking down on to Katniss. I grab the plastic square, and try to build a sort of canopy above her head. I manage to jam the plastic in to the rock of the roof, and it protects her from the rain.

As the darkness falls, I hear the seal of Panem, and I peer out of the entrance of the cave. This might give me an idea of what happened down at the Cornucopia. Clove's face appears, and the sky goes black once again. It doesn't set my mind at ease at all. It just leaves me wondering how on earth Katniss managed to escape

Over the course of the night, I have to change her bandages twice, because they're getting so saturated with blood. I start to get really worried that she'll never wake up. Just keep laying there silently bleeding to death. I suddenly become aware of the growling noise that my stomachs making, so without taking my eyes off Katniss, I rummage around in her pack. I wolf down three pieces of the groosling before remembering that it might have to last a while.

By morning I think I've got the bleeding in Katniss's head to stop, and the swelling in my leg has almost gone. I sit there all morning watching her. I check her pulse just to make sure my eyes aren't deceiving me. By the afternoon I notice that her eyes have given a small flicker, and she lets out a small moan.

"Katniss, Katniss, can you hear me?" I say softly. Her eyes open, and relief rushes through me. The sight of those beautiful grey eyes, instantly calms me.

"Peeta." She whispers.

"Hey," I say. "Good to see your eyes again."

"How long have I been out?" She asks.

"Not sure. I woke up yesterday evening and you were lying next to me in a very scary pool of blood," I say. "I think it's stopped finally, but I wouldn't sit up or anything."

She lifts a hand to her head, and feels the bandage. Even this simple gesture drains her face of colour. I reach over and grab one of the water bottles, holding it to her lips while she drinks thirstily.

"You're better," She says, looking at me.

"Much better. Whatever you shot into my arm did the trick," I tell her. "By this morning, almost all the swelling in my leg was gone."

"Did you eat?" She asks.

"I'm sorry to say I gobbled down three pieces of that groosling before I realized it might have to last a while. Don't worry, I'm back on a strict diet," I assure her.

"No, it's good. You need to eat. I'll go hunting soon," She says.

"Not too soon, all right?" I say. "You just let me take care of you for a while." Its not like she has much choice, even the simplest movements leave her feeling weak. So I feed her bits of groosling and raisons. When she says that her feet are cold, I rub some warmth back in them, and wrap them in my jacket, before tucking the sleeping bag back up around her chin.

"Your boots and socks are still damp and the weather's not helping much," I explain.

Just then a massive thunder clap sounds outside.

"I wonder what brought on this storm? I mean, who's the target?" I think out loud.

"Cato and Thresh," She says instantly. "Foxface will be in her den somewhere, and Clove . . . she cut me an then . . ." her voice trails off.

"I know Clove's dead. I saw it in the sky last night," I say, "Did you kill her?"

"No. Thresh broke her skull with a rock," she says.

"Lucky he didn't catch you, too,"

"He did. But he let me go." She says. I look at her intrigued, and she explains all about what happened between the tracker jackers, and finding me. She tells me how she teamed up with little Rue, and together they came up with the plan to blow the careers supplies. How she lost the hearing in her ear, and how Rue was killed by Marvel. She sang to Rue until she died, and then covered her body in wild flowers. Then District 11 sent her bread. She goes on to explain how this meant that Thresh didn't want to owe her anything, so he spared her life. I sit there absolutely incredulous.

"He let you go because he didn't want to owe you anything?" I ask in disbelief.

"Yes. I don't expect you to understand it. You've always had enough. But if you'd lived in the Seam, I wouldn't have to explain," this annoys me slightly.

"And don't try. Obviously I'm too dim to get it."

"It's like the bread. How I never seem to get over owing you for that," She says. I can't believe that she's bringing that up. It was years ago, and besides after all she's done for me over the last few days, I think we can let it go.

"The bread? What? From when we were kids?" he says. "I think we can let that go. I mean, you just brought me back from the dead."

"But you didn't know me. We had never even spoken. Besides, it's the first gift that's always the hardest to pay back. I wouldn't even have been here to do it if you hadn't helped me then," She says. "Why did you, anyway?"

"Why? You know why," I tell her. I thought I was finally breaking through to her. She just gives her head a slight shake.

"So, Cato and Thresh, huh? I guess it's too much to hope that they'll simultaneously destroy each other?" I say quickly, not wanting to make things awkward. But my words only make her look more upset.

"I think we would like Thresh. I think he'd be our friend back in District Twelve," she says sadly.

"Then let's hope Cato kills him, so we don't have to," I say grimly. That's when I see that she's crying.

"What is it? Are you in a lot of pain?" I ask concerned. Her answer nearly breaks my heart. She sounds so small, so childlike.

"I want to go home, Peeta,"

"You will. I promise," I say, and I bend down and kiss her. Hoping it will say a lot of unspoken things about how I feel.

"I want to go home now,"

"Tell you what. You go back to sleep and dream of home. And you'll be there for real before you know it," I promise her.

"Okay," she whispers, "Wake me if you need me to keep watch."

"I'm good and rested, thanks to you and Haymitch. Besides, who knows how long this will last?"

She looks confused at my last comment but falls asleep too quickly to question it. I guess I don't really know myself what I meant. Maybe the games themselves, maybe the storm, or maybe me taking care of her, or her loving me.

While she sleeps the rain worsens, and so does my hunger. I place the broth pot under the worst of the leaks in the roof. I wake her in the early evening, and she feels well enough to sit up. We get started on the food, but there's not much left. Two pieces of groosling, a small mishmash of roots, and a handful of dried fruit.

"Should we try and ration it?" I ask.

"No, let's just finish it. The groosling's getting old anyway, and the last thing we need is to get sick off spoiled food," she replies. We divide it, trying to eat slowly to make it last, but we're so hungry; we're done in a few minutes.

"Tomorrow's a hunting day," she says.

"I won't be much help with that," I answer. "I've never hunted before." No I've only ever stayed inside the boundaries of District 12, like a good little boy.

"I'll kill and you cook," She says. "And you can always gather."

"I wish there was some sort of bread bush out there," I say.

"The bread they sent me from District Eleven was still warm," she says with a sigh of longing, "Here, chew these." And she hands me a couple of mint leaves.

The seal of Panem plays, but no ones face flashes up, its clear that there have been no deaths today.

"Where did Thresh go? I mean, what's on the far side of the circle?" She asks.

"A field. As far as you can see it's full of grasses as higher as my shoulders. I don't know, maybe some of them are grain. There are patches of different colours. But there are no paths," I tell her.

"I bet some of them are grain. I bet Thresh knows which ones, too," She says. "Did you go in there?"

"Once. But nobody really wanted to track Thresh down in that grass. It has a sinister feeling to it. Every time I look at that field, all I can think of are hidden things. Snakes, and rabid animals, and quicksand," I say. "There could be anything in there."

"Maybe there is a bread bush in that field," She says. "Maybe that's why Thresh looks better fed now than when we started the Games."

"Either that or he's got very generous sponsors," I say. "I wonder what we'd have to do to get Haymitch to send us some bread."

She raises her eyebrows at me before saying, "Well, he probably used up a lot of resources helping me knock you out," she says in a mischievous voice.

"Yeah, about that," I say, intertwining my fingers with hers, "Don't try something like that again." Now that I'm sure she's out of danger I can reproach her for what she did.

"Or what?"

"Or . . . or . . ." I can't think of anything though. I know that she thinks she did the right thing, and we're both still alive, but I just can't let her risk her life for me again. "Just give me a minute." I add.

"What's the problem?" she says with a grin.

The problem is we're both still alive. Which only reinforces the idea in your mind that you did the right thing," I say.

"I did do the right thing," she says, only confirming my fears.

"No! Just don't, Katniss!" My grip on her hand tightens, and I can hear the anger starting to come out in my voice. "Don't die for me. You won't be doing me any favours. All right?"

"Maybe I did it for myself, Peeta, did you ever think of that? Maybe you aren't the only one who . . . who worries about . . . what it would be like if. . ."

My heart leaps like a fish. Is she actually saying that she doesn't want to lose me? Is she saying that she loves me too?

"If what, Katniss?" I say softly, masking the urgency that I feel. I need to know what she was thinking.

"That's exactly the kind of topic Haymitch told me to steer clear of," I can't imagine Haymitch telling her anything of the kind. He's the one who ignited the star-crossed lovers thing. But I take my chance,

"Then I'll just have to fill in the blanks myself," and I move my face closer to hers, pressing my lips against hers. I finally feel alive, locked in an embrace with Katniss. I can tell that she feels something, by the way she's kissing me back. But I'm the first to break away, as I notice her head wound is bleeding again. I kiss her on the nose,

"I think your wound is bleeding again. Come on, lie down, it's bedtime anyway," I say. Her socks are dry enough to wear now, so she insists that I put my jacket back on, and she says that she wants to take the first watch. She's shivering so I'm adamant that she gets inside the bag with me. I pull her head down to use my arm as a pillow, and I throw my other one protectively over her. Now that I've got her, I never want to let her go, and I drift off to sleep.

She wakes me up after about four hours though, but I don't mind. I can see that she's exhausted.

"Tomorrow, when it's dry, I'll find us a place so high in the trees we can both sleep in peace," she promises as she falls asleep.

But by tomorrow the weather still hasn't improved. If anything the deluge has got heavier. I want to go out and scavenge for food, I'm so hungry, but Katniss tells me it would be pointless so I stay put.

We stay huddled in the sleeping bag to keep warm until the evening. It's Katniss that breaks the silence first.

"Peeta," She says lightly. "You said at the interview you'd had a crush on me forever. When did forever start?"

"Oh, let's see. I guess the first day of school. We were five. You had on a red plaid dress and your hair . . . it was in two braids instead of one. My father pointed you out when we were waiting to line up,"

"Your father? Why?" She asks.

"He said, 'See that little girl? I wanted to marry her mother, but she ran off with a coal miner,'" I say honestly.

"What? You're making that up!" She exclaims.

"No, true story," I say. "And I said, 'A coal miner? Why did she want a coal miner if she could've had you?' And he said, 'Because when he sings . . . even the birds stop to listen.'"

"That's true. They do. I mean, they did," She says, obviously a little stunned by this information.

"So that day, in music assembly, the teacher asked who knew the valley song. Your hand shot right up in the air. She stood you up on a stool and had you sing it for us. And I swear, every bird outside the windows fell silent," I say. That memory has stayed with me through all these years. That voice haunting my dreams, and occasionally my nightmares.

"Oh, please," She says laughing

"No, it happened. And right when your song ended, I knew — just like your mother — I was a goner," I say. "Then for the next eleven years, I tried to work up the nerve to talk to you." By hearts beating heavily, but I'm too happy to notice it. I've finally told her what I should have told her years ago.

"Without success," She adds.

"Without success." I repeat. "So, in a way, my name being drawn in the reaping was a real piece of luck,"

"You have a . . . remarkable memory," She says.

"I remember everything about you," I say, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "You're the one who wasn't paying attention."

"I am now," She says.

"Well, I don't have much competition here," I say. She pauses for a moment, swallows and then speaks.

"You don't have much competition anywhere." I feel like I might burst with happiness. Yes I'm cold, hungry, and could be killed in days, but she must feel something for me. And that's better than all the food in the world. She leans forward and our lips make contact. But a clunk outside makes us draw away quickly.

I jump up and peer round the mouth of the cave, before letting out a whoop of joy. I run out in the rain to retrieve it, rushing back in to the cave and handing it to her. A silver parachute attached to a basket. She rips it open at once and inside there's a feast — fresh rolls, goat cheese, apples, and best of all, a tureen of that incredible lamb stew on wild rice.

"I guess Haymitch finally got tired of watching us starve." I say my face lit up with a wide smile.

"I guess so," She answers.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

"We better take it slow on that stew. Remember the first night on the train? The rich food made me sick and I wasn't even starving then." I say.

"You're right. And I could just inhale the whole thing!" She says regretfully

We are quite sensible. We each have a roll, half an apple, and an egg-size serving of stew and rice. I make myself eat the stew in tiny spoonfuls — they even sent us silverware and plates — savouring each bite. When we finish, I see her staring longingly at the food.

"I want more." She says sighing.

"Me, too. Tell you what. We wait an hour, if it stays down, then we get another serving," I say.

"Agreed," She says. "It's going to be a long hour." I'm anxious to get back to the conversation we were having before the food arrived. I haven't been this happy in years. We might actually make it home, and I've finally got her within reach. I love her so much, and if I found out that she felt something for me too, it would be the best thing that ever happened to me.

Maybe not that long," I say. "What was that you were saying just before the food arrived? Something about me . . . no competition . . . best thing that ever happened to you . . ."

"I don't remember that last part," she says, and I can make out that familiar blush creeping up her cheeks.

"Oh, that's right. That's what _I_ was thinking," I say, and it's the truth. Before the reaping I had nothing, now it feels like I have everything in the world that's worth having. "Scoot over, I'm freezing."

She makes room for me in the sleeping bag, and I climb in next to her. We lean back against the cave wall, my arms wrapped around her, her head resting on my shoulder.

"So, since we were five, you never even noticed any other girls?" She asks me.

"No, I noticed just about every girl, but none of them made a lasting impression but you," I say honestly.

"I'm sure that would thrill your parents, you liking a girl from the Seam," She says.

"Hardly. But I couldn't care less. Anyway, if we make it back, you won't be a girl from the Seam, you'll be a girl from the Victor's Village,"

"But then, our only neighbor will be Haymitch!" She says.

I tighten my arms around her, never wanting to be parted from her again.

"Ah, that'll be nice," I say. "You and me and Haymitch. Very cozy. Picnics, birthdays, long winter nights around the fire retelling old Hunger Games' tales."

"I told you, he hates me!" She says with a laugh.

"Only sometimes. When he's sober, I've never heard him say one negative thing about you," I say honestly.

"He's never sober!" She protests.

"That's right. Who am I thinking of? Oh, I know. It's Cinna who likes you. But that's mainly because you didn't try to run when he set you on fire," I say, "On the other hand, Haymitch . . . well, if I were you, I'd avoid Haymitch completely. He hates you."

"I thought you said I was his favourite,"

"He hates me more," I say. "I don't think people in general are his sort of thing."

We just lie there for a few minutes. I love the feel of her in my arms, it just feels so natural.

"How do you think he did it?" She asks, breaking the silence.

"Who? Did what?"

"Haymitch. How do you think he won the Games?" She says.

I think for a few moments. Haymitch isn't built like Cato or Thresh, I mean yes I'm sure he's strong but I doubt that would be enough. I can't imagine him charming the audience to the point of being inundated with sponsors gifts.

"He outsmarted the others," I say simply. She nods, and we fall silent once again.

After half an hour we decide that we're too hungry to resist the food any longer. Katniss is dishing out two small portions of the stew when the anthem plays. I go over to the rocks, and peer through a gap to look at the sky. That's when I see Thresh's face imprinted on the sky.

"There won't be anything to see tonight. Nothing's happened or we would've heard a cannon."

"Katniss," I say quietly.

"What? Should we split another roll, too?" She says. It's as if she doesn't want to hear what I'm going to say. I turn around and look at her.

"I'm going to split one. But I'll save the cheese for tomorrow," She sees me looking at her. "What?" She says.

"Thresh is dead," I say.

"He can't be," She says simply.

"They must have fired the cannon during the thunder and we missed it," I say.

"Are you sure? I mean, it's pouring buckets out there. I don't know how you can see anything," She pushes me aside and squints through the rock. She see's his face, and slumps down against the rocks.

"You all right?" I ask. She gives a noncommittal shrug, and hugs her arms to her body.

"It's just . . . if we didn't win . . . I wanted Thresh to. Because he let me go. And because of Rue." She says.

"Yeah, I know," I say. "But this means we're one step closer to District Twelve." I pick up a plate of food and push it in to her hands. "Eat. It's still warm."

"It also means Cato will be back hunting us."

"And he's got supplies again," I reply.

"He'll be wounded, I bet," She says.

"What makes you say that?" I ask.

"Because Thresh would have never gone down without a fight. He's so strong, I mean, he was. And they were in his territory," She says.

"Good," I say. "The more wounded Cato is the better. I wonder how Foxface is making out."

"Oh, she's fine," Katniss says, a bit shortly. "Probably be easier to catch Cato than her."

"Maybe they'll catch each other and we can just go home," I say hopefully. "But we better be extra careful about the watches. I might have dozed off a few times."

"Me, too," she admits. "But not tonight." I offer to take first watch, and she burrows down in the sleeping bag.

After an hour or so my stomach starts to become painful again, and I need to eat. I grab the basket and cut a roll in half. I top both halves with the goats cheese, and cut slices from the apple and place it on top. I put one half back in the basket for Katniss when she wakes up, and I wolf my half down quickly. My mouth waters with the delicious taste, and my stomach is slightly more satisfied.

After another hour or so my eyes start to itch with tiredness, and I know that I can't stay awake for much longer.

I shake her shoulder, and take her half of the food out of the basket.

"Don't be mad," I say, "I had to eat again. Here's your half."

"Oh, good," She says, immediately taking a huge bite.

"We make a goats cheese and apple tart at the bakery," I say. The taste of the cheese and apple, reminds me of home.

"Bet that's expensive," She says.

"Too expensive for my family to eat. Unless it's gone very stale. Of course, practically everything we eat is stale," I say, pulling the sleeping bag up around me and going straight to sleep.

I awake to Katniss's face leaning over mine, she's shaking my shoulder to try and rouse me. I focus my eyes on her beautiful face, illuminated by the rays of sun that are now streaming in to the cave. I pull her down for a deep long kiss, how long I've waited just to be able to do that.

She breaks away first. "We're wasting hunting time," she says.

"I wouldn't call it wasting," I say giving a big stretch and sittting up. "So do we hunt on empty stomachs to give us an edge?"

"Not us," She says. "We stuff ourselves to give us staying power."

"Count me in," I say. I'm surprised to see that she divides up the rest of the stew and hands a heaped plate to me. "All this?"

"We'll earn it back today," She assures, and we both dig in. Katniss eventually abandons her fork, dabbing the gravy up with her fingers. "I can feel Effie Trinket shuddering at my manners." She says.

A sudden idea takes me, "Hey, Effie, watch this!" I say, tossing my fork over my shoulder, and putting my plate to my mouth. I lick the plate clean, making loud satisfied noises. I blow a kiss to the roof of the cave, "We miss you, Effie!" I call.

Katniss covers my mouth with her hand, but is laughing hard herself. "Stop! Cato could be right outside our cave."

I pull her hand away, "What do I care? I've got you to protect me now," and I pull her closer to me.

"Come on," she says in exasperation, extricating her fingers from mine. I sneak another kiss before she gets to her feet though.

The mood is much more serious when we're packed up and standing outside the cave. It's as if we've been given a break from the tension these last few days. You can really sense now that we're back in the games. I don't have any weapons left, so Katniss hands me her knife, and I slip it in to my belt.

"He'll be hunting us by now," I say. "Cato isn't one to wait for his prey to wander by."

"If he's wounded —" She begins.

"It won't matter," I break in.I remember Cato's eagerness to hunt, to kill, to win. "If he can move, he's coming."

We replenish our water, and Katniss checks her snares. They all come out empty.

"If we want food, we better head back up to my old hunting grounds," She says.

"Your call. Just tell me what you need me to do," I say.

"Keep an eye out," She says. "Stay on the rocks as much as possible, no sense in leaving him tracks to follow. And listen for both of us."

We head further upstream, walking in the water so that we don't leave any tracks. We pass the place where Katniss found me, the rain has erased any sign that I might once have laid there for the best part of three days.

We move back towards the forest, and Katniss turns to look at me.

"What?" I ask her.

"You've got to move more quietly," She says. "Forget about Cato, you're chasing off every rabbit in a ten-mile radius."

"Really?" I say. "Sorry, I didn't know." We start up again, I try to soften my footsteps. Katniss isn't convinced though.

"Can you take your boots off?" She suggests. This idea doesn't really appeal to me. I don't feel at ease in the trees at all, and taking my boots off would seriously limit my capability to run or fight, should trouble occur.

"Here?" I say in disbelief.

"Yes," She says patiently. "I will, too. That way we'll both be quieter." We both strip off our boots and socks, but I can tell that she still isn't happy.

We keep walking for another two hours, and we haven't got a thing to show for it. I know that it's my fault.

"Katniss," I say. "We need to split up. I know I'm chasing away the game."

"Only because your leg's hurt," she says. I do still feel a bit weak, but I know that this is only part of the problem.

"I know," I say. "So, why don't you go on? Show me some plants to gather and that way we'll both be useful."

"Not if Cato comes and kills you." She says. I laugh, even though she's making me sound a bit weak.

"Look, I can handle Cato. I fought him before, didn't I?" I can tell that she's still reluctant to leave me.

"What if you climbed up in a tree and acted as a lookout while I hunted?"

"What if you show me what's edible around here and go get us some meat?" I say mimicking her tone. "Just don't go far, in case you need help." Now that I've got her, I never want her to leave me again.

She sighs and shows me some roots to dig, and teaches me a bird whistle so we can communicate. After that she leaves me, and disappears in to the trees.

I lay the rest of the food down, and rest the sheet of plastic on the floor of the forest. I head off in to the undergrowth near the stream to look for food. I dig a few of the roots she showed me, and pile them next to the pack. After a while find a patch of berries, near the stream. I strip the bush of as many that I can hold, and go back to tip them on to the plastic, whistling the two note signal. I don't know for sure if they're poisonous or not, so I decide not to try them just in case. I head back down to the stream and grab another handful of the berries.

I hear my name being called, so I hurry back, breaking through the trees just as an arrow flies in to the tree beside me. I jump back in alarm, flinging the berries on to the pile.

She starts shouting at me, "What are you doing? You're supposed to be here, not running around in the woods!"

"I found some berries down by the stream," I say, confused with her outburst.

"I whistled. Why didn't you whistle back?" she asks angrily.

"I didn't hear. The water's too loud, I guess," I cross over and put my hands on her shoulder. I can feel her trembling, and I immediately feel a sense of guilt at the anguish I caused her. At the same time I feel slightly pleased. If this is how she reacts when I don't whistle back, she must really love me back.

"I thought Cato killed you!" She says loudly.

"No, I'm fine." I wrap my arms around her, breathing in the scent of her hair but she doesn't respond. "Katniss?"

"If two people agree on a signal, they stay in range. Because if one of them doesn't answer, they're in trouble, all right?"

"All right!" I say.

"All right. Because that's what happened with Rue, and I watched her die!" and then I understand. It must have been absolutely horrific to watch that little girl die. She turns away from me.

"And you ate without me!" she shout. This annoys me.

"What? No, I didn't," I say.

"Oh, and I suppose the apples ate the cheese,"

"I don't know what ate the cheese," I say slowly, trying not to lose my temper. "but it wasn't me. I've been down by the stream collecting berries. Would you care for some? She looks at the berries lying on the plastic.

Just then a canon sounds, and Katniss whips round to me. The hovercraft appears a hundred yards or so away. What's left of Foxface's emaciated body is lifted into the air. Cato must be coming, and panic floods through my blood. I'm Katniss's side in and push her towards a tree.

"Climb. He'll be here in a second. We'll stand a better chance fighting him from above."

She stops me, suddenly calm. "No, Peeta, she's your kill, not Cato's."

"What? I haven't even seen her since the first day," I say, wondering what on earth she's going on about. "How could I have killed her?"

In answer, she holds out the berries.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

She explains to me what happened before she blew up the careers food. How Foxface took enough to stay alive, but not enough to give her position away. How she wouldn't question the safety of berries we were preparing to eat ourselves. I feel really guilty; I never wanted anyone else to die through my hands. But I guess it's a necessary evil if we want to make it home.

"I wonder how she found us," I say. "My fault, I guess, if I'm as loud as you say."

"And she's very clever, Peeta. Well, she was. Until you outfoxed her." She says kindly, but I don't deserve her reassurances.

"Not on purpose. Doesn't seem fair somehow. I mean, we would have both been dead, too, if she hadn't eaten the berries first." I say, but quickly counteract myself. "No, of course, we wouldn't. You recognized them, didn't you?"

"We call them nightlock." She says with a nod.

"Even the name sounds deadly," I say. "I'm sorry, Katniss. I really thought they were the same ones you'd gathered."

"Don't apologize. It just means we're one step closer to home, right?" She says.

"I'll get rid of the rest," I say, and I pick up the sheet, careful to trap the berries inside. I'm about to toss them in to the trees, when Katniss shouts out.

"Wait!" She cries, taking out a small leather pouch. She grabs a few handfuls of the berries, and puts them in to the pouch. "If they fooled Foxface, maybe they can fool Cato as well. If he's chasing us or something, we can act like we accidentally drop the pouch and if he eats them —" she says.

"Then hello District Twelve," I say.

"That's it," and she secures the pouch to her belt.

"He'll know where we are now," I say grimly. "If he was anywhere nearby and saw that hovercraft, he'll know we killed her and come after us."

"Let's make a fire. Right now." She says, picking up some branches. This alarms me, ideally I'd like to put off facing Cato for as long as possible, spend as much time with Katniss as I can.

"Are you ready to face him?" I ask.

"I'm ready to eat. Better to cook our food while we have the chance. If he knows we're here, he knows. But he also knows there's two of us and probably assumes we were hunting Foxface. That means you're recovered. And the fire means we're not hiding, we're inviting him here. Would you show up? She says. I can't fault her logic.

"Maybe not," I answer, and coax a blaze out of the damp wood, and soon have the rabbits and squirrel roasting, the roots, wrapped in leaves, baking in the coals. We take turns gathering greens and keeping a careful watch for Cato, but as Katniss anticipated, he doesn't make an appearance.

Once all the food is cooked, Katniss wraps it up, leaving us with a rabbit leg each to eat as we walk. Katniss is anxious to climb a tree to settle in for the night, but I know that for me it'll never work. I really want to go back to our cave. It's been like a little home for the past few days.

"I can't climb like you, Katniss, especially with my leg, and I don't think I could ever fall asleep fifty feet above the ground." I explain.

"It's not safe to stay in the open, Peeta," She says.

"Can't we go back to the cave?" I ask, "It's near water and easy to defend."

She sighs, clearly not happy with my suggestion, but she reaches up and kisses me. "Sure. Let's go back to the cave."

"Well, that was easy." I say, relieved.

It's a long walk back to the cave, but I'm happy to spend as much time as possible basking in Katniss's company. She suggests that we walk in the stream, seeing as the current has settled down, and I gladly oblige. By the time we reach our destination the sun sits low in the sky. We fill our water bottles, and creep back to our sanctuary. She sets the food out, but I'm so tired that I start nodding off. She orders me in to the sleeping bag, tucks it up around my chin, and kisses my forehead. I fall asleep with a smile on my face.

When she shakes my shoulder, I see that a new day is dawning outside, and she let me sleep for the entire night. "I slept the whole night. That's not fair, Katniss, you should have woken me."

"I'll sleep now. Wake me if anything interesting happens." She stretches and burrows down in the sleeping bag. I gaze at her beautiful face, looking at the soft curve of her nose, the long fluttering of her eyelashes, the gentle pinkness of her lips. I keep an eye out for Cato but he never shows up, and by the time Katniss wakes a bright sunny afternoon is upon us.

"Any sign of our friend?" She asks.

"No, he's keeping a disturbingly low profile." I say, shaking my head.

"How long do you think we'll have before the Gamemakers drive us together?"

"Well, Foxface died almost a day ago, so there's been plenty of time for the audience to place bets and get bored. I guess it could happen at any moment," I say.

"Yeah, I have a feeling today's the day," She says. She sits up and looks outside. "I wonder how they'll do it."

I don't say anything, because I don't want to dwell on the horrors that the gamemakers might inflict on us for the audiences entertainment. The fact that I might lose her looms on me.

"Well, until they do, no sense in wasting a hunting day. But we should probably eat as much as we can hold just in case we run into trouble," She says. I pack up the rest of the stuff, while she lays out a huge meal.

We eat, and eat, until all that's left is a pile of rabbit bones. Leaving the cave has a sense of finality about it. One way or the other, our fate will be sealed today. I try not to think about what that might mean. We head down to the stream, hoping to clean up a bit. I'm starting to feel distinctly filthy, and I'm anxious to wash the grime from my body. But when we reach it, all we find is a bone dry dirt bed. Katniss puts a hand down to it.

"Not even a little damp. They must have drained it while we slept," She says. We have two full water bottles, but I can see that with this hot sun, they won't last long. It suddenly becomes clear to me, where they want us to go.

"The lake," I say. "That's where they want us to go."

"Maybe the ponds still have some," She says hopefully. I know it's no use, but I humour her anyway.

"We can check," I say. But when all we find is dusty dry dirt beds, just like the stream.

"You're right. They're driving us to the lake." She says, "Do you want to go straightaway or wait until the water's tapped out?"

It's getting to the point, where I just want out. I want it to end. We're well rested and fed, now's as good a time as any.

"Let's go now, while we've had food and rest. Let's just go end this thing," I say, and she nods. I want to feel her warmth against mine, because we could both be dead in hours. It feels just like the first day, and the fear rages through me. I step forward and wrap my arms around her.

"Two against one. Should be a piece of cake," I say in what I hope is a reassuring voice, but I've seen what Cato is like.

"Next time we eat, it will be in the Capitol," She says.

"You bet it will," I say. We stand there locked in our embrace, listening to the leaves rustling and each other breathing. But we silently break apart, knowing what we have to do.

We reach the tree where she scurried up to escape the careers. She nudges the remains of the tracker jacker nest with her boot, and it dissolves in to dust.

"Let's move on," She says quickly, and I don't object. By the time we reach the lake it's early evening, and unnervingly there's no sign of Cato. We circle the Cornucopia just in case, but he's no where to be seen. We cross to the lake and fill our water containers.

"We don't want to fight him after dark. There's only the one pair of glasses." She says.

"Maybe that's what he's waiting for. What do you want to do? Go back to the cave?" I answer. I'm starting to feel very unnerved now. The lack of movement in the trees is very eerie.

"Either that or find a tree. But let's give him another half an hour or so. Then we'll take cover," She answers.

We sit by the lake, and after a few minutes Katniss sings a four note melody to the birds in the trees. The sound of her voice sends goose bumps running up my arms, it's hauntingly beautiful. The birds fall silent, and she repeats the tune. The gradually the mockingjays start singing it back, the world coming alive with the music.

"Just like your father," I say.

"That's Rue's song," She says. "I think they remember it." She closes her eyes, and the music swells, creating a stunning harmony. Then something begins to disrupt the music. Runs cut off in jagged, imperfect lines. Dissonant notes intersperse with the melody. The mockingjays' voices rise up in a shrieking cry of alarm.

We jump to our feet, me wielding a knife, Katniss poised to shoot. when Cato smashes through the trees and bears down on us. He has no spear. In fact, his hands are empty, yet he runs straight for us. Katniss's first arrow hits him in the chest, but bounds inexplicably off, leaving him unscathed.

"He's got some kind of body armour!" She shouts at me.

Cato is upon us. I brace myself, but he rockets right between us with no attempt to check his speed. I can tell from his panting, the sweat pouring off his purplish face, that he's been running hard a long time. Not toward us. From something. But what?

Katniss sees it first and starts blindly running after Cato. Then I see the pack of wolves, running straight to us from the woods. My blood turns cold, and I turn to run and follow Katniss, the wolves fast on my heals, jaws snapping, teeth bared.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

I see that Cato and Katniss have made a beeline for the Cornucopia, and I don't hesitate to follow them. But my leg is the problem, and I'm still not really up for running. I hobble along, willing Katniss to make it to the horn, as I can feel the wolves closing in on me.

She reaches the tale of the Cornucopia, and turns around. She fires an arrow, but I don't turn around to see if it hit its mark.

"Go, Katniss! Go!" I scream, waving her up. She scales the metal, reaching the middle just as I reach the tale. I let out a cry of fear, as I feel the breath of the wolves on my neck.

"Climb!" She yells, firing an arrow in to the pack. But I'm not as fast as she is, my leg, and the knife in my hand slowing me down. I reach her feet, and she pulls me up, and drags me along. My heart is pounding in my ears, and for the first time I get a good look at the wolves. They must be mutations, standing on their hind legs, razor sharp claws raised. They have an oddly human look about them.

We reach the top, and see Cato doubled over, spluttering.

'Can they climb it?'" he coughs.

"What?" Katniss shouts at him.

"He said, 'Can they climb it?'" I answer, and she turns back to the base of the horn.

The mutts are beginning to assemble, and panic floods through my body. They put their snouts on the horn, sniffing and tasting the metal, scraping paws over the surface and then making high-pitched yipping sounds to one another. This must be how they communicate because the pack backs up as if to make room. Then one of them, a good-size mutt with silky waves of blond fur takes a running start and leaps onto the horn. Its back legs must be incredibly powerful because it lands a mere ten feet below us, its pink lips pulled back in a snarl.

I hear Katniss give a shriek of horror beside me, her hands shaking, struggling to hold her bow straight. I grip her arm.

"Katniss?" I say, alarmed.

"It's her!" She says in a strangled shout.

"Who?" I say. I'm worried that she might have cracked, after all she's seen over the last couple of weeks, I can hardly blame her. Her eyes scan the wolves in panic, and horror.

"What is it, Katniss?" I say, shaking her shoulder.

"It's them. It's all of them. The others. Rue and Foxface and . . . all of the other tributes," She chokes. I look at the wolves myself, and see exactly what she means. One with long auburn hair, with a colour woven out of green net, a number four embossed on it. It can only be Navicula. The sparkling green eyes and glossy blond fur of Glimmer. Those eyes look so human. I gasp, "What did they do to them? You don't think . . . those could be their real eyes?"

The mutts start to launch themselves at the horn, and I feel a stab of pain, as one sinks its teeth in to my leg. I grip Katniss's arm, as the creature tries to pull me over the edge. She using all her strength trying to keep me on the horn, and the mutts grip on my leg tightens, and I feel warm blood spreading across my calf. I feel the teeth tear a great chunk out of my leg, and it burns fiercely with pain.

"Kill it, Peeta! Kill it!" She yells. I swish wildly behind me, and I feel the knife sink in to flesh, and the pull on me lessons. She hauls me back, and we drag ourselves up to the top of the horn, where Cato is waiting.

Cato has still not regained his feet, but his breathing is slowing and I know soon he'll be recovered enough to come for us. Katniss arms herself with her bow, but ends up hitting, a huge dark mutt that jumped in to her line of fire. She turns back, and that's when I'm jerked from her side.

Cato holds in a tight headlock, cutting off my air supply. The blood starts to gush from my calf, and I'm confused as to whether I should try to stem the flow, or fight for oxygen. I claw at Cato's arms, but I know that it's no use. I'm gradually starting to suffocate, and I'm going to leave Katniss to fight Cato on her own.

She aims an arrow at Cato's head, but he just laughs. "Shoot me and he goes down with me." I can see that she's trying to calculate what to do, in her head. My hand reaches down to my leg, and I feel it become drenched. Then an idea comes to me. I raise my fingers, and draw a deliberate X on the back of his hand, hoping that she sees it and realises what I mean.

The arrow tip pierces his hand, and he releases me. I slam back in to him, hoping to knock him over the side, but I end up losing my balance myself. She dives forward and catches hold of me, just as Cato loses his footing on the blood-slick horn and plummets to the ground.

We hear him hit, the air leaving his body on impact, and then the mutts attack him. Katniss and I cling to each other, waiting for the canon, waiting for this nightmare to end. But it doesn't happen. Not yet. Because this is the climax of the Hunger Games, and the audience expects a show. The blood keeps pouring from my leg, and I'm starting to feel light headed.

Neither of us watch, but I can hear the snarls, the growls, the howls of pain from both human and beast as Cato takes on the mutt pack. I can't understand how he can be surviving until I remember the body armor protecting him from ankle to neck and I realize what a long night this could be. Cato must have a knife or sword or something, too, something he had hidden in his clothes, because on occasion there's the death scream of a mutt or the sound of metal on metal as the blade collides with the golden horn. The combat moves around the side of the Cornucopia, and I know Cato must be attempting the one manoeuvre that could save his life — to make his way back around to the tail of the horn and rejoin us. I remember Cato from those days in the beginning, but in the end, despite his remarkable strength and skill, he is simply overpowered.

I don't know how long it has been, maybe an hour or so, when Cato hits the ground and we hear the mutts dragging him, dragging him back into the Cornucopia. Now they'll finish him off, I think. But there's still no cannon.

Night falls and the anthem plays and there's no picture of Cato in the sky, only the faint moans coming through the metal beneath us. The icy air blowing across the plain reminds me that the Games are not over and may not be for who knows how long, and there is still no guarantee of victory.

Katniss looks at my leg, but we have no bandages, as we left all our supplies down by the lake. She unzips her jacket, and takes off her shirt, before zipping the jacket quickly back up. I notice that her teeth have started chattering. I can feel myself turning pale, and she makes me lie down as she looks at the wound. She ties the sleeve of her shirt around it, and slots her last arrow in to make a tourniquet. Then she lies down with me.

"Don't go to sleep," she tells me, but as soon as she says it, the harder it becomes. I see in the pale light of the moon that she's shivering violently.

"Are you cold?" I ask, and I unzip my jacket, she presses against me, and I zip us both back inside. It's slightly warmer, but I feel myself starting to shake worse than ever. I will myself to hold on to consciousness.

"Cato may win this thing yet," She whispers to me.

"Don't you believe it," I say, pulling up her hood. The hours pass angonizingly slowly, and I feel the blood continuing to leak out of her leg. The time is made even slower by Cato, moaning, begging, and finally just whimpering as the mutts work away at him. After a very short time, I don't care who he is or what he's done, all I want is for his suffering to end. Katniss is thinking the same as me.

"Why don't they just kill him?" She asks. But she already knows the answer to that, and so do I. No viewer could turn away from the show now. From the Gamemakers' point of view, this is the final word in entertainment.

"You know why," I say, and I pull her closer to me. I can feel the end coming now. Not of Cato, or the games, but me. I find myself dozing off, each time Katniss shouting my name louder and louder. I try to focus on the sky, watching it closely to see if the darkness is lightening. I insist that Katniss acknowledges its progress, wanting to share one last thing with her before I die.

Finally, after what seems like years, I whisper to her that the sun is rising. She presses her ear to the horn, and I know that she can just distinguish Cato's voice.

"I think he's closer now. Katniss, can you shoot him?" I say, wanting his misery to end.

"My last arrow's in your tourniquet," She says.

"Make it count," I say, as I unzip my jacket, and let her loose. She takes the arrow out, tying the bandage again tightly. She crawls to the tip of the horn and hangs over the edge, as I grip her for support.

She fires her last arrow, and I pull her back.

"Did you get him?" I whisper. But before she can answer the canon does for her.

"Then we won, Katniss," I say hollowly.

"Hurray for us," She says, but there's no joy in her voice.

A hole opens in the plain and as if on cue, the remaining mutts bound into it, disappearing as the earth closes above them. We wait, for the hovercraft to take Cato's remains, for the trumpets of victory that should follow, but nothing happens.

"Hey!" she shouts, "What's going on?" but she gets no response.

"Maybe it's the body. Maybe we have to move away from it," I suggest, but I'm not sure if I can move at all.

"Okay. Think you could make it to the lake?" She asks.

"Think I better try," I say in response. We inch down the horn, the stiffness in my limbs unbearable. Somehow we make it down to the lake, and she brings up a handful of cool water for me to drink. A mockingjay gives the long, low whistle and the hovercraft appears and takes Cato's body away. Now they will take us. Now we can go home.

But again there's no response. Something is wrong.

"What are they waiting for?" I say weakly. My wounds opened up again, and I'm not sure how long I'll last.

"I don't know," She says. She looks around for something to use as a tourniquet and stoops to pick up a fallen arrow. But as soon as she does that, Claudius Templesmiths voice booms in the arena.

"Greetings to the final contestants of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games. The earlier revision has been revoked. Closer examination of the rule book has disclosed that only one winner may be allowed," he says. "Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favour."

We stare at each other in disbelief.

"If you think about it, it's not that surprising," I say softly, pulling all my strength together and getting to my feet. I pull the knife from my belt, with the intention of throwing it deep in to the lake, but before I can do that Katniss loads a bow and points it straight at my heart. I know what I must have looked like so I raise my eyebrows, and drop the knife straight in to the lake.

She drops her weapons and stands back. She has to win, this is the only way.

"No," I say. "Do it." And I thrust the weapon back in to her hand. I don't want to live in a world without her anyway. I had her for a few brief days of happiness. Now the Capitol have stripped that from me.

"I can't, She says. "I won't."

"Do it. Before they send those mutts back or something. I don't want to die like Cato," I say.

"Then you shoot me," She says furiously, shoving the weapons back at me. "You shoot me and go home and live with it!" I could never do that. It goes against everything that's human in me.

"You know I can't," I say, throwing the weapons down. I'm going to die whether she kills me or not. "Fine, I'll go first anyway." I lean down, and rip the bandage off my leg.

"No, you can't kill yourself," She says, she gets on her knees and desperately tries to plaster the bandage back on.

"Katniss," I say softly. "It's what I want." Because I can't go home without her, if she dies, I'll be forever stuck in this arena in my mind. Trying to think of a way out, but always trapped.

"You're not leaving me here alone," She says.

"Listen," I say, pulling her to her feet. "We both know they have to have a victor. It can only be one of us. Please, take it. For me. I love you more than life itself Katniss. Don't you understand? If you die my life dies with you, because you are my life. If you leave me, I'll never really go home, this arena will stay in my mind. I'll stay locked in it, trying to find you."

She fumbles with the pouch on her belt, the one that I know contains the nightlock. I clamp my hand on her wrist, I can't let her do this. "No, I won't let you." I say.

"Trust me," She whispers, I hold her gaze for a few moments, drinking in the colour and intensity of her eyes. I let go of her wrist. She loosens the top of the pouch, and pours some berries in to my palm, before filling her own. I understand. We're going to leave this life together. As one. Anger burns through me at the Capitol for doing this to us. Giving us hope, and then snatching it away.

"On the count of three?" She asks. I lean down and kiss her one last time.

"The count of three," I say.

We stand with our empty hands locked tight.

"Hold them out. I want everyone to see," I say. She gives my hand one last squeeze for goodbye, and then we start counting.

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

I lift my hand to my mouth, taking one last look at the world, breathing in her scent one last time, feeling the warmth of her hand in mine. The berries have just passed my lips when the trumpets begin to blare.

The frantic voice of Claudius Templesmith shouts above them. "Stop! Stop! Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present the victors of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark! I give you — the tributes of District Twelve!"


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

I immediately spit the berries out, and drag Katniss over to the lake where we both flush our mouths with water and then collapse into each other's arms.

"You didn't swallow any?" She asks me.

I shake my head. "You?" I say.

"Guess I'd be dead by now if I did," She says.

"We made it Katniss." I say, but the speakers drown my voice out with roar of the crowd in the Capitol that they're playing live over the speakers.

The hovercraft materializes overhead and two ladders drop, she keeps her arm around me, and helps me to the ladder. The electric current freezes us, and I'm thankful that it does, and white dots are starting to appear before my eyes, and the light headedness is getting worse. I'm starting to lose consciousness, and the second the door closes behind us I slump to the floor unconscious.

I dream about her, and only her. Katniss's face glows before me, illuminated by the flames from the opening ceremony, and we're dancing in the flames, their power and pain not seeming to affect us.

Then I dream that we're back in District 12, running hand in hand through the beautiful meadow at the edge of the District. We fall in to each other's arms rolling around in the grass. She looks deep in to my eyes.

"I love you Peeta." She whispers. I close my eyes and kiss her, but I notice something strange. It seems like her face is elongating in to a wolf like muzzle. Her face sprouting is dark hair. She has become a mutt, like the ones in the arena, her four inch claws poised to scratch.

I awake with a jump. My love for Katniss erases the last images of my dream almost immediately. I realise that I must be in some type of hospital. The bright lights blaze, in an attempt to re-create the sunlight that can't get through. There aren't any windows, and I realise that we must be deep beneath the training centre. My eyes still aren't properly focused, so all I see is two blurring figures standing near me. I wiggle my toes beneath the sheets. Well I wriggle the toes on one of my feet. My eyes snap in to focus and I rip the sheets of the bed back off my legs. My stomach lurches as I look at the metal contraption that has now become my left calf.

The two blurred figures are doctors, and they're straight at my side.

"I'm sorry Peeta, but we couldn't save the leg." One says apologetically. "You were losing too much blood, it was the only thing we could do."

"Where's Katniss?" I whisper in a hoarse voice.

"She's fine Peeta," says the other doctor, "they want to do you're re-union live on air, and you've got some intense physio-therapy to get through."

They weren't lying there, the next few days are excruciating but the thought of seeing Katniss gets me through it. I have to learn to walk on my new leg, as it won't look good for the Capitol putting a victor on stage in a wheelchair.

After a few days, they let me go, but I still can't walk properly without the aid of a walking stick. I walk down the hall, and in to a room, where I see the glowing faces of Haymitch, Effie and Portia. I go straight past the others and pull Haymitch in to a tight hug, breathing "thank you," in to his ear. He pats me on the back, and I pull away. Effie is standing there looking teary, so I pull her in to a hug too. I hug Portia and then turn to survey the room.

"Where's Cinna?" I ask the room at large.

"He's getting Katniss ready, it's your big re-union tonight." Says Haymitch. "Go with Portia and get ready."

Me and Portia walk in to the elevator and press the button for the twelfth floor.

"She loves me Portia." I whisper, and Portia smile back.

"Lets just get you ready for tonight, and then you can see her." She say.

We get out of the lift and we're back in my old room. My prep-team engulfs me. Septimus, Cleopatra, and Accalia, all pull me in to bone breaking hugs, which nearly makes me lose my balance on my unsteady leg. I didn't realise that I'd become so dear to them. Well I suppose being a victor of the Hunger Games, makes you more appealing to this Capitol lot. I am glad to see them nonetheless. I smile and nod in the right places, as the witter on about the games. None of what they say is about the children who died. No, it's all about them, and where they were when certain events happened.

I eat a small meal while they get me ready, not really taking notice, just picturing Katniss's face. After an hour or so, Portia comes back in holding a garment bag. A soft yellow shirt, black trousers, and sturdy black boots. I'm glad for the foot wear as I'm still not as steady as I'd like to be on my new leg. Once I'm dressed, Portia and the prep team take me down in the elevator to the level that we trained.

It's customary for the victor and his or her support team to rise from beneath the stage. First the prep team, followed by the escort, the stylist, the mentor, and finally the victor. Only this year, with two victors who share both an escort and a mentor, the whole thing has had to be rethought. I find myself in a poorly lit area under the stage. A brand-new metal plate has been installed to transport me upward. You can still see small piles of sawdust, smell fresh paint.

Portia and my prep team go off to change in to their costumes, and take their positions, so I'm left by myself. The rumble of the crowd is loud above my head. I bet they can't wait to get a glimpse of the star crossed lovers from District 12. The thought of seeing Katniss in just a few minutes causes waves of anticipation to coarse through me.

The anthem booms in my ears, and then I hear Caesar Flickerman greeting the audience. The crowd breaks into applause as the prep teams are presented. I imagine Septimus, Cleopatra and Accalia bouncing around, delighted to be in the spotlight. Then Effie's introduced. How long she's waited for this moment, I bet she enevr expected it to come, with District 12 being her assigned District. Portia and Cinna receive huge cheers, of course, they've been brilliant, had a dazzling debut. Haymitch's appearance brings a round of stomping that goes on at least five minutes. Well, he's accomplished a first. Keeping not only one but two tributes alive. Then I feel the plate lifting me towards the stage, lifting towards her.


	21. Chapter 21

**Okay so this is the last chapter, and I just wanted to thank everyone who has read the story up to this point. Let me know if you want me to write Catching Fire, but as I have my AS-level exams starting soon I probably won't be able to start for a few months. Thank you to everyone who has left a review, it's because of people like you that I've carried on writing so thank you so much :) I hope you enjoy the last chapter, and please let me know what you think. **

Chapter Twenty One

There's a blinding flash of lights, and then I see her. My face breaks in to a huge smile, as I see how healthy and beautiful she looks. Cinna's dressed her in a simple yellow dress that matches my shirt. It gives the impression that she's wearing candlelight and it makes her features softly glow.

We walk towards each other and she flings herself in to my arms, with such force that I nearly lose my balance and have to grip the top of my cane. I'd forgotten just how good it felt to have her in my arms. We cling to each other, and I kiss her. It's like she's breathing life back in to me, and I feel stronger than I have felt in days. I can vaguely hear the audience, they're going wild, but I barely notice them. All my attention is entirely taken by the happiness that is filling me up.

We must have been kissing for about ten minutes, and I feel a tap on my shoulder. It's Caesar Flickerman, wanting to start the show. I push him away, without even glancing at him, not wanting anything to spoil this moment.

Finally, Haymitch interrupts us and gives us a good-natured shove toward the victor's chair. Usually, this is a single, ornate chair from which the winning tribute watches a film of the highlights of the Games, but since there are two of us, the Gamemakers have provided a plush red velvet couch. We sit down, Katniss's limbs entwined with mine. I hold on to her tight, I've been separated from her for days, and now I can't bear to let go of her. She kicks off her shoes, and tucks her leg up, snuggling closer in to me. I pull my arm tighter around her.

Caesar Flickerman makes a few more jokes, and then it's time for the show. This will last exactly three hours and is required viewing for all of Panem. I've been dreading this bit, but with Katniss by my side I know that I can make it through. Condensing several weeks into three hours is quite a feat, especially when you consider how many cameras were going at once. Whoever puts together the highlights has to choose what sort of story to tell. This year, for the first time, they tell a love story.

The first half hour or so focuses on the pre-arena events, the reaping, the chariot ride through the Capitol, our training scores, and our interviews. There's this sort of upbeat soundtrack playing under it that makes it twice as awful because, of course, almost everyone on-screen is dead.

Once we're in the arena, there's detailed coverage of the bloodbath and then the filmmakers basically alternate between shots of tributes dying and shots of us. I'm glad to see that they show me with the careers, and she sees how I only did it to protect her. How I stayed awake under that tracker jacker tree all night, just to make sure she was okay. How I tried to fight Cato off, so that she could run. They show me lying half dead in the mud bank, whispering her name in my sleep.

Then they show Katniss, dodging fireballs, dropping nests, and blowing up supplies. I feel her stiffen when they show Rue's death. They play it in full, and I see Katniss singing to her as she dies. I swallow hard. I know how difficult this must be for her, but she has to try and make it through tonight, I'm always going to be there for her.

Then I see her calling my name from a tree, after they announced that there could be two victors. They show her nursing me back to health, fighting off Clove at the Cornucopia to get the medicine that saved my life.

I see fully how gruesome Cato's death was, and unease sweeps through me.

And then comes the moment with the berries. I can hear the audience hushing one another, not wanting to miss anything. The film makers don't end with the announcement of our victory. They end with Katniss banging on the door of the hovercraft, screaming my name as they try and revive me.

The anthem's playing yet again and we rise as President Snow himself takes the stage followed by a little girl carrying a cushion that holds the crown. There's just one crown, though, and you can hear the crowd's confusion — whose head will he place it on? — until President Snow gives it a twist and it separates into two halves. He places the first half on my head with a smile, and places the other on Katniss's.

Much bowing and cheering follows. My arm is about to fall off from waving when Caesar Flickerman finally bids the audience good night, reminding them to tune in tomorrow for the final interviews. Then we're ushered in to the Presidents mansion for the victory banquet, where we have very little time to eat as Capitol officials and particularly generous sponsors elbow one another out of the way as they try to get their picture with us. Face after beaming face flashes by, becoming increasingly intoxicated as the evening wears on.

I don't once let go of Katniss's hand.

The sun is just peeking over the horizon when we straggle back to the twelfth floor of the Training Center. I can tell that Katniss wants to speak to me, but Haymitch sends us both off to bed before we have the chance.

I'm woken up by my prep team, who work on my while I eat breakfast. I've never really taken the time to notice what they do to me before, I usually just let them get on with it. They order me to shower and wash my hair, and then they carefully style it. I get my face and by moisturised, and a light application of make up. I dress in the red and white outfit that Portia hands to me, and then I'm ready for the interview.

I walk in to the sitting room and find Katniss already there. She looks absolutely stunning in a floaty white dress and pink shoes. I haven't been able to speak to her properly since the arena, and even then we were being followed by the cameras. I can't wait to get back home with her, so we can start our life together, away from an eager audience. I pull her to one side.

"I hardly get to see you. Haymitch seems bent on keeping us apart." I say.

"Yes, he's gotten very responsible lately." She says.

"Well, there's just this and we go home. Then he can't watch us all the time," I say. She looks like she wants to say something back, but its interview time so we go to sit on the sofa. We sit formally at first, but then Caesar says,

"Oh, go ahead and curl up next to him if you want. It looked very sweet." So she tucks her feet up, and I pull her closer to me. Someone counts backward and just like that, we're being broadcast live to the entire country. Me and Caesar already have a rapport since the first interview. I can tell that Katniss isn't that comfortable so I try and answer as many questions as I can.

"Well, Peeta, we know, from our days in the cave, that it was love at first sight for you from what, age five?" He says.

"From the moment I laid eyes on her," I say truthfully.

"But, Katniss, what a ride for you. I think the real excitement for the audience was watching you fall for him. When did you realize you were in love with him?" He asks. I have to admit, I'm interested to hear the answer to this myself.

"Oh, that's a hard one . . ." and she gives a faint laugh.

"Well, I know when it hit me. The night when you shouted out his name from that tree," She says.

"Yes, I guess that was it. I mean, until that point, I just tried not to think about what my feelings might be, honestly, because it was so confusing and it only made things worse if I actually cared about him. But then, in the tree, everything changed," She says. My heart flutters, and I feel a rush of affection for her.

"Why do you think that was?" urges Caesar.

"Maybe . . . because for the first time . . . there was a chance I could keep him," She says quietly. Caesar pulls out a handkerchief and has to take a moment because he's so moved, and I press my forehead against her temple.

"So now that you've got me, what are you going to do with me?" I say.

"Put you somewhere you can't get hurt." She says, turning to me. I kiss her, but one is never enough, the second we pull away I want another one. But there'll be plenty of time for that when we get home.

Caesar starts to talk about all the ways that we did get hurt in the arena. The burns, the stings, the scratches, the bites. The we get around to the mutts.

"So Peeta, how's your new leg working out?" He asks me. I remember that I didn't have chance to tell Katniss.

"New leg?" She says, and she reaches up and pulls the bottom of my trousers up. Her face drops when she sees the metal and plastic contraption that's replaced my flesh. "Oh, no," she whispers.

"No one told you?" asks Caesar gently. She shakes her head.

"I haven't had the chance," I say with a shrug. It doesn't really bother me, it's a small price to pay for love.

"It's my fault," She says. "Because I used that tourniquet."

"Yes, it's your fault I'm alive," I say, because she really did save my life. More than once.

"He's right," says Caesar. "He'd have bled to death for sure without it."

Katniss looks like she might cry, so she buries her face in my shirt. I rub her back comfortingly, and it takes several minutes for us to coax her back out.

Caesar directs his questions back to me though, and she seems to calm down. This wasn't the way that I wanted her to find out about my leg. I would have liked to tell her in private, but Haymitch saw to that.

"Katniss, I know you've had a shock, but I've got to ask. The moment when you pulled out those berries. What was going on in your mind . . . hm?" Caesar asks.

She takes a long time to answer. "I don't know, I just . . . couldn't bear the thought of . . . being without him."

"Peeta? Anything to add?" asks Caesar.

"No. I think that goes for both of us," I say.

Caesar signs off and it's over. Everyone's laughing and crying and hugging. I notice Katniss goes over and has a whispered conversation to Haymitch. I start to wonder what it's about, but then I realise that it really doesn't matter. Katniss has stolen my heart, and in return she's given me hers.

They drive us through the streets in a car with blackened windows, and the train's waiting for us. We barely have time to say good-bye to Cinna and Portia, although we'll see them in a few months, when we tour the districts for a round of victory ceremonies. It's the Capitol's way of reminding people that the Hunger Games never really go away. We'll be given a lot of useless plaques, and everyone will have to pretend they love us.

The train begins moving and we're plunged into night until we clear the tunnel and we can finally breathe easy.

Effie is accompanying us back and Haymitch, too, of course. We eat an enormous dinner and settle into silence in front of the television to watch a replay of the interview. I begin to think of the life Katniss and I will have back in District 12. I just want to spend every moment possible with her, for the rest of my life. Katniss excuses herself, and by the time she comes back, she looks completely like the girl I fell in love with. Her hair is in its signature braid, she's washed off the make up that only ever masked her beauty, and she's wearing normal trousers and a shirt.

She comes back to join us, and I put my arm around her shoulder again.

When the train makes a brief stop for fuel, we're allowed to go outside for some fresh air. Katniss and I walk along hand in hand. We don't need to talk we've been through so much together. I spot a cluster of pretty pink and white flowers, so I stop to collect them for her. When I give them to her, she acts pleased, but it's as if she's trying to hide something in her eyes. A slight frown comes over her face.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"Nothing," She says, and we carry on walking. I jump slightly as Haymitch lays a hand on Katniss's back, and speaks in a low voice.

"Great job, you two. Just keep it up in the district until the cameras are gone. We should be okay." He walks back to the train, and I notice that Katniss is avoiding my eyes. I start to get an anxious feeling in my stomach, I need to get to the bottom of this.

"What's he mean?" I ask.

"It's the Capitol. They didn't like our stunt with the berries," She blurts out, but I still don't understand.

"What? What are you talking about?" I ask.

"It seemed too rebellious. So, Haymitch has been coaching me through the last few days. So I didn't make it worse," She says.

"Coaching you? But not me," I say.

"He knew you were smart enough to get it right," She says, still not looking me in the eye. I'm starting to understand what she's talking about.

"I didn't know there was anything to get right," I say. "So, what you're saying is, these last few days and then I guess . . . back in the arena . . . that was just some strategy you two worked out."

"No. I mean, I couldn't even talk to him in the arena, could I?" She stammers.

"But you knew what he wanted you to do, didn't you?" I say. She bites her lip, "Katniss?" I drop her hand and step back. It's like a stone has dropped in to my stomach.

"It was all for the Games," I say. "How you acted." The realisation dawns on me. She hasn't given me her heart at all. It was on loan, for the cameras. I can see our idyllic future dissolving before my eyes.

"Not all of it," She says, and I notice that the grip on her flowers has tightened.

"Then how much? No, forget that. I guess the real question is what's going to be left when we get home?" I say. She might has well have ripped my still beating heart out of my chest. The heartbreak actually begins to feel like a physical pain in my chest.

"I don't know. The closer we get to District Twelve, the more confused I get," She says. I wait for more of an explanation because that can't be it. But nothing more comes.

"Well, let me know when you work it out," I say, trying unsuccessfully to keep the pain out of my voice. I turn and leave her there, and slowly make my way back to the train.

I don't want to see anyone, so I go straight back to me room and lock the door. I sit on the edge of my bed for a few moments, taking deep shuddering breaths. Then, before I can stop myself, the tears come streaming down my face. I lie down on the bed, and allow my body to be overcome with massive shaking sobs. For a week, I had thought that I had captured the feelings of the girl I have loved since we were five. It's the happiest feeling that I've ever known, and now it's been snatched away from me.

Effie knocks on my door but I ignore her. I can't face being around people at the moment. I feel humiliated; I poured my heart out to her, thinking she had the same feelings. But no, I've been deluding myself. Of course it's Gale that she wants to go home to, I'm going to have to adjust to life on my own.

I go to the bathroom and see what damage I've done to my face. My eyes are swollen and puffy, from the hours of crying, my face red and blotchy. I splash my face with water, get undressed and climb in to bed.

She doesn't come to me that night. I'm back in the arena, holding the hand of the girl Cato killed as she dies. The faces of all the dead tributes flash in front of me. I try to tell them that I'm sorry but the words don't seem to come.

I don't go to breakfast the next day either, I want to pro-long the moment until I have to face Katniss. I need to make myself appear emotionless, and I try to push her from my mind. I see District 12 in the distance, and I finally leave my room.

I see her standing by the door, and I give her a curt nod. The pain in my chest starts. I hate acting like this towards her, but I try to tell myself that it's for the best.

So we just stand there silently, watching our grimy little station rise up around us. Through the window, I can see the platform's thick with cameras. Everyone will be eagerly watching our homecoming. I extend my hand to her, and she looks at me unsure.

"One more time? For the audience? I say in a hollow voice.

She takes my hand tightly, and I know right there that I'll never be able to switch off my feelings for her, my soul has been blinded by her, and she's left scars on my heart that can never be healed.

I hold her hand tightly, never wanting to let go of the girl on fire.


End file.
